Catch the Falling Sky
by kyuubicle
Summary: When their town is burned to nothing but ash, Alfred and Arthur are forced to start the lives they had been dreaming of earlier than expected. Seeking revenge and adventure, they set out, meeting some unlikely friends  and foes!  along the way...
1. Prologue

Catch the Falling Sky  
><em>Prologue<em>

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><p>The thought had been bouncing around in Arthur's brain for hours, but no matter how hard the ten year old thought about it, the idea of being an orphan wasn't registering. He knew what an orphan was and he had often read about them in books that were in the library at his house which he would probably never see again. Two guards had tried to explain that his mom and dad were gone and never coming back as gently as possible, but the grim looks of pity made it very clear what they were trying to say without actually saying it. But Arthur knew exactly what that meant. "Never coming back" had only one meaning and that meaning was death. They didn't give Arthur up. They didn't run away. They didn't go missing. They were dead. And there was no way to bring back the dead, thus the use of "never" before the "coming back" part.<p>

Arthur hadn't even cried. He probably would have by now if the shock hadn't rendered his body useless. It was weird, not being able to control your actions as you'd like. Arthur felt like a spectator in his own body, watching as things went by without really being able to respond to it. He had been asked questions, but he only managed to nod or shake his head in reply. The guards had tried to get Arthur to talk by asking things like "What's your name?" or "How old are you?" but Arthur either didn't answer or just stared at them. Eventually they gave up, deciding it was better to let the ten year old keep to himself since that's what he wanted. Another odd thing Arthur found out about shock was he didn't cry. He had to be the most upset he had been in his entire life, but he couldn't cry. This was probably the worst thing about shock Arthur hated. He wanted to cry. He wanted to cry for his parents. It felt wrong that he wasn't crying or screaming or yelling for his parents to come back to him even though he knew it wouldn't do anything. Shouldn't he be crying the hardest he ever had in his entire life? He lost everything that meant anything to him: his home, his books, his toys, and most of all his parents. Shouldn't he be able to shed one little tear for everything he loved that was now lost?

A hand on Arthur's shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts. It was not a hand of one of the armored guards that had taken Arthur. No. This hand was more feminine and was ungloved. His eyes traveled up the hand to an arm, which he passed over briefly to the face of a middle-aged, dark haired woman with her hair pinned back and harshly kept in place. Arthur turned his head to the guard closest to him, who sent him a weak smile.

"Don't worry." he said, "She's going to take care of you now, so don't be afraid." Arthur wasn't afraid, he'd say this but his vocal chords were still refusing to work. The guard put his big hands under Arthur's arms-they nearly covered his entire side Arthur noticed-and lifted the tiny boy up and off of his mount, which Arthur just noticed was a large yellow bird type creature with bright green eyes. Arthur stared at it, wondering how on earth he hadn't noticed it before. The middle-aged woman grabbed Arthur's hand and attempted to get his attention, he stared at her face so she'd stop making such a fuss, but he was still way more interested in the bright yellow creature that carried him here. Was the woman unaware there was a giant yellow bird standing right next to her? What if it attacked her or pecked at her head? Maybe he was hallucinating and the bird wasn't real and that's why she wasn't acknowledging the weird beast.

"What's your name?" she asked. Arthur just stared at her. He still couldn't get his voice to work. She frowned at his despondence. "Little boy, I asked your name." Arthur continued to stare at her. She let out a sigh.

"He hasn't made a sound at all, Miss." the guard explained. "The shock should wear off soon. But his name is Arthur."

"Very well." Miss sighed again, straightening back up, still holding onto Arthur's hand. She asked a few more questions, mainly about Arthur, before they said their goodbyes. The yellow bird kept fidgeting the entire time and Arthur was beginning to get the feeling that it might be hungry. The young boy grabbed a hold of Miss' (Arthur wasn't sure of her name. Perhaps it was Miss or perhaps it wasn't. Miss seemed like an odd name to have after all, but he was going to refer to her as Miss until she introduced herself) skirt and positioned himself behind her in hopes that it would stop the bird from staring at him. He was happy when the guard got back on it and rode away. Arthur really didn't feel like becoming dinner. Miss pulled Arthur's arm and led him towards the large building the guards dropped him off at. She explained that it was an orphanage and Arthur's new home.

"Are you hungry at all?" Arthur shook his head. He felt sick and the idea of food made him want to throw up. Miss didn't say anything, but lead Arthur to a tiny room with a little wooden desk. He figured it must have been an office, albeit uncomfortable and very _very_ small. Miss pulled a paper out of one of the drawers in the little wooden desk. "We'll take care of your papers in the morning, but I think it's best if you get some sleep. It's late and I don't want to keep you up, especially since you aren't talking to me." Miss seemed a little irritated, but that was probably because she was tired too Arthur guessed. She looked at a paper briefly, using her finger to lead her eyes down the list before letting out an "Ah-ha!" sound and putting the list away. She looked like a really nice woman, Arthur concluded, with her dark brown hair and little wrinkles. The way she talked sounded nice and warm too. She got up from the desk and kneeled in front of Arthur again. "I'm going to give you a room right now, okay? You aren't going to be alone, but you're going to be in there with a little boy named Alfred, okay? He's about your age and I think you two will get along just fine." Arthur didn't say anything in return, but he nodded to acknowledge what Miss said. Miss smiled and stood back up, wrapping Arthur's hand in her own and leading him out of the office and back into the narrow hallway.

The hallway was long and not very decorated. Doors lined the walls and little name tags were on each one to identify the occupants, but other than that, decoration was sparse and limited. Miss continued to talk at Arthur, hoping he'd warm up to her and talk back, but he didn't. He never talked much to begin with anyways. She explained the schedule and that she'd have to enroll Arthur in lessons. She tried to ask his age in hopes of figuring out where he needed to be put, but again Arthur didn't answer her. He was relieved when they arrived at the door marked "Alfred." Arthur suddenly became very aware of how tired he was.

_THUMP!_

"Alfred!" Miss screeched, "You should be asleep! Do you have any idea how late it is?" Arthur poked his head out from behind Miss to get a better look inside the room.

"It's not late enough, Miss Lizzy." replied a child that Arthur supposed was Alfred. He had honey blond hair and baby blue eyes and a fair complexion that complimented both colors and he was standing in the middle of the small room, also with very little decoration. He sported a very wide, mischievous smile that he beamed at Miss, whom began to lecture Alfred about bed times. The boy spotted Arthur and grinned, a bit more warmly, ignoring Miss Lizzy.

"Miss Lizzy! Who's that?" Alfred bounded over and put his hands on Miss Lizzy's front, pointing around the woman. Arthur grabbed the back of Miss' dress and tried to hide from view, but it was too late. He had already been spotted and this boy seemed keener on knowing whom his new roommate would be. Miss Lizzy let out a grumble at Alfred's inability to listen to her, but he ignored her.

"Who's that?" he repeated. He made a move to get behind Miss, but Arthur went around to her front. When Alfred tried to get to her front, Arthur went back to the back and vice versa.

"This is Arthur-Alfred will you stop chasing him around?" Alfred tried to fake Arthur out by pretending to go to the left, but he quickly changed direction and went to the right. Arthur scurried away, almost tripping over his own two feet.

"I'm not chasing him! He's running away!" Alfred whined. Arthur glared at the blue-eyed blond and stepped into the room, crossing his arms and pouting a little bit. Alfred smiled and stumbled in after him. "What's up with his eyebrows? They look like caterpillars!" Alfred shouted, pointing at Arthur's forehead. Arthur reflexively slapped both hands to his forehead in an attempt to cover his face.

"Alfred, that's not a nice thing to say." Miss said tiredly.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way." Alfred whined. He gave Arthur a look. "I was surprised by it. I didn't mean anything by it. Honest." Arthur gave the kid a glare.

"Alfred. You have to be more careful about what you say to people." Miss Lizzy sighed. "One of these days, someone's going to get very upset with you. Now apologize to Arthur." Alfred crossed his arms.

"I'm sorry for saying you had big eyebrows." Alfred recited. Arthur continued to stare at the boy. "What was the point in that, Miss Lizzy? He won't even say he forgives me."

"Give him some time, Alfred. I'm sure he'll warm up to you eventually." Miss said, though Arthur disagreed with that. Alfred seemed very obnoxious and loud which was a direct contradiction to Arthur's quiet nature. Alfred seemed to share this thought, though it probably made Arthur sound like the rude one in his head. The two boys stared at each other for a moment before Alfred turned back to Miss. "Just…try to get along. If it doesn't work out, I'll move Arthur to a different room, okay? Try introducing yourself." Miss left after that, closing the door behind herself, leaving Arthur alone with the blue-eyed blond. Alfred shuffled his feet before looking at his new roommate.

"I'm Alfred." he said, extending his hand. Arthur stared at it as if it were some kind of disease-ridden piece of flesh and bone. "I said, my name's Alfred. That usually means you say your name too, y'know." Arthur glared at Alfred. Alfred frowned. "If you're not gonna talk to me, I'll make up a name for you. I can call you Mute since you won't talk. Or Brows since your eyebrows are really b-"

"Arthur." he mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"Arthur." Arthur said a bit louder.

"Arthur then. Was that so hard?" Arthur shook his head out of annoyance. They stood in silence again. "Well. Aren't you gonna ask me where you're gonna sleep?" Arthur stared at the boy. Alfred huffed and pointed to a bed next to the window, "That's where I sleep. You can sleep on the one on the other side of the room." Arthur immediately walked towards the bed and kicked off his shoes to crawl on top. Alfred climbed into his own bed, humming some random tune as he did so. "So how old are you?"

Silence. Alfred let out a frustrated huff.

"I said, how old are you?"

Arthur grunted.

" I'm gonna keep on asking til you answer so get it over with."

"Ten."

"You're a year older than me! I thought you were younger!" Alfred laughed. "But I guess you seem older too. Old people don't like to talk to me and it seems like you're the same." Another frustrated glare was sent at Alfred, who again ignored it. "So what do you like to do besides the obvious talking?"

"Reading, I guess." Arthur replied, not really wanting to deal with Alfred asking again and again until he answered.

"I'm up to three word answers already! Awesome!" Alfred cheered. "I like to play outside a lot. Reading's always so boring and it seems like a waste of time!"

"How so?" Arthur huffed, a bit annoyed with Alfred. Arthur liked reading and to be honest he really didn't like this boy very much right now, and he did not appreciate the thing he didn't like making fun of the thing he did.

"Because. Why should I read when I could be out there making my own adventures?" Alfred grinned, giving Arthur a wink. "And don't go thinkin I don't like to read because I don't know how. I know how to read just fine. Have you ever heard of a hero that couldn't read anyways?" Arthur shook his head. "Exactly." Alfred lay back on his pillow and closed his eyes. "Night, Arthur."

Everything was quiet.

"I said night, Arthur."

"Good night." Alfred started to snore lightly after that, leaving Arthur to dwell on his thoughts a bit before he fell into a dreamless sleep.

It was now three months since Arthur arrived at the orphanage and he was now spending almost every waking second with Alfred. The younger boy was finally able to get Arthur to talk to him normally, though he still kept to himself, but that was fine. Arthur didn't really like to talk anyways, not even before he became an orphan. The light blond often preferred reading in his spare time over talking to Alfred. Arthur was extremely happy when Alfred showed him the library, even though a majority of the books in the library were children's books, but a few were informational and Arthur enjoyed reading those more than he thought he would. He found out the bright yellow bird he arrived on was called a Chocobo and he learned about different crystals and the properties behind the different colors. He picked up one about different classes people took on as they got older that had detailed pictures and explanations of each one inside. Alfred pointed at one labeled "Dragoon."

"That's what I'm gonna be." he said proudly. Arthur snorted.

"You? With a dragon? What makes you think they'd give you an egg?" Arthur laughed. Alfred started to pout.

"Why wouldn't they? I think I could take care of a dragon pretty good!" Alfred huffed.

"Pretty well."

"So you agree!"

"No-I was correcting you." Arthur smiled again when Alfred pushed him.

"You're just mad 'cause you can't be as cool as me." Alfred claimed.

"Probably. But if I have to give up proper grammar to be cool, then I'd rather be lame." Arthur teased. Alfred pat Arthur's shoulder sympathetically.

"Don't worry. When I get a dragon, I'll make sure it doesn't eat you. Even if you deserve it."

"That's very reassuring, Alfred. If you ever get a dragon, I'll make sure it doesn't eat you either. Even if you're annoying."

Digging through the few bookcases the library had, it was decided that new books were needed, though there were a few rare finds in the many stack of simple rhyme books. Arthur managed to find a book on airships and he instantly fell in love. The complicated mechanisms used to keep such a big ship in the air were interesting and the idea of sailing the clouds was something of a dream. He loved the intricate designs of ships and the different kinds of woods that were used to build a ship. Arthur learned that wood had a very big effect on the speed, strength, and durability of a boat and each type of wood had its own tradeoffs. The lighter the wood, the faster the ship, though it often could not handle an attack. Heavier woods often meant the ship was heavier and therefore slower. There were tons of formulas and possible designs and mixtures of materials that could go into making a ship. Arthur also loved how massive some of the ships actually got. Some had up to four motors just to stay afloat! Not that Arthur wanted a ship that big. A smaller one would be just as fine and he doubted he even wanted a crew. He just wanted the boat. Arthur tried to share this magnificent find with Alfred, but he wasn't very interested.

"Who needs an airship when you have a dragon anyways?" Alfred snickered, flipping through the pages of the book without looking at the pages.

"How about the person that doesn't have a dragon?" Arthur argued.

"I'd let you ride my dragon, Arthur." Alfred grinned. Needless to say, Arthur kept his love of airships to himself after that.

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months and before Arthur knew it, he had been staying at the orphanage for a little over three years. He now had no problem talking to people, or yelling at people that made him mad for that matter. Alfred used to have to tell people off for him, but that had changed thank God. He was a lot healthier now as he spent more time outside playing than reading, though he still spent most of his time buried in a book. Arthur also noticed he was a lot taller too. He was slightly taller than the twelve year old Alfred, but it wasn't by a lot. He figured Alfred would probably be a taller than him in a few months, however disappointing that was. Arthur was older so why couldn't he stay taller for just a little bit longer?

Alfred was enrolled in a kind of training program. He was learning to fight and use swords and was well on his way to becoming a knight of some sort. He took to the sword fighting like a fish takes to water. He was a natural as his instructors bragged, very proud that they could have such an enthusiastic and gifted individual like Alfred under their wing. He had been and still did practice his moves with random sticks, ducking, dodging, and diving at invisible enemies until he was exhausted as Arthur watched from the sidelines with water and a book. Alfred tried to get Arthur to join the program with him, but Arthur declined.

"I don't want to wave around pieces of metal and wear one of those personal ovens when I grow up."

"Just come and watch for one! Please, Arty?" Alfred begged, clinging to Arthur's tunic.

"No. It's your thing so you enjoy it." Arthur huffed. And that was final. This made Alfred a little upset and he refused to talk to Arthur for the rest of the day, but Arthur liked the silence. Alfred caught on that the older boy was enjoying his "punishment" and spent the next three days filling every waking second with annoying questions and stories and whatever else to make sure Arthur suffered to the fullest extent of his wrath.

Since Alfred was no longer around the orphanage all the time, Arthur had to find some way to keep himself entertained. He could make other friends, but he didn't want to be with anyone but Alfred. He would read, but he had read every book in the library and knew a vast majority of them by heart, specifically the ones that had useful information such as the book that had Dragoons in it along with the airship book. Miss Lizzy must have sensed Arthur's obvious boredom and managed to get Arthur some new books, just for him that he didn't have to share with any of the other kids that might rip and damage them.

"There's all sorts I was able to get for you. Ones on dragons and magic and anything else your little head could possibly think of. I figured you liked these kinds of books since you always read those." Miss Lizzy said as she gave Arthur the paper bag. Arthur would have hugged the woman if he wasn't so shy about doing so. He was a little skeptical on the magic books she got for him. It was interesting, yes, but he doubted he had an affinity for it. That and he figured it was a book on myths and legends and silly stories meant to scare little kids or sucker people into wasting their time of something that wasn't real. He was pleasantly surprised when he opened the book to find that it took quite a bit of logic in conjunction with an open mind to make spells work. He kept his nose buried inside for hours, intent on learning the secrets behind actually performing a spell. The more and more he read, the more and more Arthur thought he could do it. Sure, some spells might be a little more difficult to master than others, such as conjuring or manipulating shadows, but others looked fairly simple. It was decided. Arthur was going to be a mage in-training. There were no mages around that could teach Arthur tricks or loopholes, but that's what made the whole idea exciting. He'd be completely self-taught and he could find loopholes by himself. He decided he'd try it in secret first. That way, if he couldn't do it, he'd disappoint nobody but himself. Arthur hid the books underneath his pillow and decided to read one of the other books Miss Lizzy had bought for him until Alfred got back.

Alfred was excelling in his training. He went to class early and came home later than when he first started. He was extremely proud that one of the masters already wanted to take him on as an apprentice, though that meant tougher training and harder work. The very first day, Alfred was so sore that he barely made it to his bed to go to sleep, but he still got up the next day, wincing with every step he took. He couldn't afford to take a day off. Alfred wanted to learn as much as possible before he got kicked out of the orphanage and could no longer go as often as he would like. Arthur reminded him that that was still a few years away, but Alfred didn't listen. More days than not, Alfred insisted on showing Arthur all the cool moves he learned and tried to teach Arthur a few as well, whom wasn't very keen on learning.

"C'mon! Even you need to learn how to fight a little bit! You have to be able to defend yourself when I'm not here! Plus, all guys like to fight!"

"How about I learn when you've mastered the moves?" Arthur suggested. "Then you can make sure I learn them right."

Alfred thought about it for a moment. "I don't want you to learn it as well as me. Then you won't need me around anymore." Arthur snorted at Alfred's logic, trying to assure him that he wouldn't know the moves as well as Alfred, but the younger boy didn't want to hear anything of it, though he decided on not trying to teach Arthur the moves for a little while longer.

When Alfred left bright and early the next morning to go to class, Arthur too got up to start his own training. The first week was frustrating as Arthur couldn't figure out how to get a spell to work and couldn't tell anyone about all the progress he wasn't making. He had almost decided to give the thing up until he reread the sentence about how magic is dependent on how much you focus. Focus too little and the spell won't get enough energy. Focus too much and the spell will fizzle out before it gets the chance to do anything. This took three days to even begin to get right. He tried to focus on different levels, but he couldn't seem to get into the bracket of "just right." He was about to give up until it finally happened. He felt a chill in the gap between his hands as he tried to focus his energy into the hollow space between them to make a ball of energy. (This was the easiest way to focus your energy at the beginning said the book, but you can't give up if you don't get it right away. It's a very tough skill to master.) Arthur thought it was just the wind, even though there was no breeze. It was a very warm, sunny day actually. Arthur glanced around before trying again. He focused everything he had on that little space between his hands, trying to get back into the same mindset. 1…2…3…the chill happened again! There was no way it was a coincidence! For the rest of the day, Arthur could not wipe the smile off his face. After nearly two weeks of trying to master this focus-thing, he'd finally been able to do it! Even if it was just a little gust of cold air, but he did it!

He tried his hardest not to let Alfred know how happy he was that he was getting the hang of spells, but Alfred seemed to be rather suspicious. Out of everyone Arthur knew, Alfred knew how to read him the best and it wasn't that hard to tell he suddenly went from two weeks of crabbiness to sudden joy.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Alfred asked, sitting at the edge of Arthur's bed. Arthur jolted upright in response, crinkling one of the pages in his book about dragons.

"No. Why would you think that?" Arthur hummed.

"No reason. Just thought that since we're best friends and all, you'd be willing to tell me what's been going on." the honey blond replied. Alfred was staring straight into Arthur's green eyes. Arthur was the first to avert his gaze.

"Nope. I've just been reading. What would I do anyways? You're the one with the special classes anyways."

"I guess you're right." Alfred, much to Arthur's relief, had left the conversation at that and went to bed. It was a little odd and Arthur felt guilty for not telling the whole truth to his best friend, but he wanted to keep his own training a secret just a little bit longer.

Two weeks passed before Arthur made any bit of progress, and even then it wasn't by a lot. It was getting extremely frustrating, and he was even more frustrated when Alfred wanted nothing more that to play with him when he got back from his class every day. Arthur kept saying no, but Alfred just would not take the hint.

"You're always reading." Alfred complained.

"And you're never here." Arthur replied, not looking up from his book. Alfred hooked his index finger on the top, trying to get Arthur's attention.

"C'mon! If I'm never here, then stop reading that book and play with me!"

"I don't feel like it." Arthur sighed, pulling his book away from Alfred, whom Arthur could tell was not very happy that he kept saying no. He snapped his book shut and got to his feet to start walking back to his room. Alfred followed suit, chasing after like a puppy.

"Please! I've been working my butt off and I just want to have some fun with you."

"I don't want to, Alfred." Arthur growled out. Alfred crossed his arms and stuck out his lower lip.

"But, Artyyy! How am I supposed to entertain myself if you won't play with me?" Alfred whined. Arthur snapped. He spun around on his heel and flung the heavy book in his hand straight at Alfred's face. It made contact and Arthur didn't know how to feel.

"Here's an idea: why don't you try opening a book and reading for once, hmm?" he said, his voice dripping in venom. He spun back around and marched back to his and Alfred's room, leaving the honey blond standing there with a look of complete bewilderment on his face. There was a funny thing about anger, Arthur observed. You really only felt better during the actual yelling at people, but afterwards you felt horrible and you couldn't believe you said those things in a blind rage. He wondered when he and Alfred would have their first fight, and now he felt bad that it finally happened. Alfred had taken the hint and hadn't come into the room until bed time, and even then he stayed quiet as Arthur pretended to be asleep to avoid conversation. He would apologize in the morning when he could manage to cool his temper. Arthur decided he didn't like to fight with Alfred. It was a bad feeling knowing it was your fault that you shut up the kid that could literally talk your ears off.

Alfred was gone earlier than usual the next morning, probably thinking Arthur was still mad at him. Arthur felt guilty, but Alfred couldn't avoid him forever. He could apologize when Alfred got back. Well, he could always go to the training grounds, but he didn't want Alfred to get in trouble with the masters. Who knew what they'd make him do? More exercise for missing valuable practice time? Arthur knew very well that Alfred's teachers weren't that heartless, but he had to have some kind of excuse for not visiting. He had his own training to worry about anyways.

It was about time for Arthur to start seeing results. Instead of little gusts of cold air, Arthur could make a tiny little swirl of snow last for about six seconds until he got too excited that he lost concentration. Now it looked like he'd be able to show Alfred what he had been teaching himself for almost a month now, assuming they were still friends after Arthur apologized of course. He tried to think of the best way to say he was sorry, but that was very difficult since he never had to apologize to Alfred before. He continued to make the little miniature flurries until he saw his friend walking up the long, dirt road that he walked every day when he got back from practice. Arthur ran up to greet him, but Alfred ignored him, only sending Arthur a quick glance before staring back down at his feet. A little twinge of guilt pulled at Arthur's heart and he almost wanted to cry. Almost.

"Alfred! You aren't going to believe this! I have the coolest thing to show you!" Arthur explained. Alfred hummed a little 'hmm?' in reply. Arthur pursed his lips, but ignored it. "You could at least act excited, you know." he huffed, trying to mimic the way Alfred talked to him on a daily basis. He was apparently failing at it. Alfred didn't say anything, which only made Arthur angrier, but he kept his cool. He kind of deserved the cold shoulder he supposed. Throwing a book at someone's face wasn't exactly the friendliest thing one could do. He should apologize. That's probably what Alfred was waiting for after all. "Alfred?" Alfred continued to walk. Either he didn't hear Arthur, or he was ignoring him still. The green eyed boy sighed and grabbed Alfred's sleeve. "Alfred…"

"What?"

"I'm sorry…f-for throwing the book at you and calling you stupid. I didn't really mean it. I was just mad." Arthur said a bit embarrassed. He was never very good at apologies. Alfred stayed quiet before he pulled Arthur into an extremely tight hug that Arthur swore cracked his spine, burying his face in Arthur's shoulder. Arthur pat Alfred's back briefly and the younger boy quickly let go. Well someone seemed happy to be apologized to.

"I can't stay mad at you." Alfred grinned, ruffling Arthur's already messy blond hair. He was the same height as Arthur now he noticed. How much longer until Alfred was actually taller than him? Would they both hit growth spurts? Maybe Arthur would hit one before Alfred and be taller for a little bit longer. Alfred was also a lot…bigger lately too. Any hints of baby fat that he still had when they first met were almost completely gone, replaced with growing muscles and the beginnings of puberty. His fair complexion had also been replaced with a light tan that showed how much time he spent outdoors nowadays. Arthur let out a huff. It wasn't fair that Alfred was starting to grow up faster. "So what's this awesomely amazing thing you wanted to show me?" Alfred asked, looking at Arthur as if he was a puppy and Arthur had a treat for him.

"I-I'll show you after dinner…" Arthur promised. Alfred clapped him on the back.

" 'Kay. Oh! You'll never guess what I found out! There's a dragon's cave up in that mountain! I heard some of the older kids talking about how that's where they get the eggs for the hatchery!"

"Really now?"

"Yea. Wouldn't it be cool to go up there and see what it looks like? I've always wondered what a dragon's cave would look like."

"I read that they were filled with treasure since dragons are supposed to be greedy." Arthur offered.

"It might be! It'd be weird seeing a bunch of treasure up there though! I've never really seen much of it in my life after all."

"Nor I." Arthur agreed.

"Man. I'm hungry too. Its dinner time, right?"

"About that time, I think. You're looking forward to stew?"

"You aren't?"

"It's the same stew we've been eating for three years."

"And Miss Lizzy knows the way to a man's heart." Alfred grinned.

"Last time I checked, men weren't twelve."

"They weren't thirteen either, so you can be quiet."

Just like Arthur promised, he was going to show Alfred what he learned over the past month. "Promise you won't laugh. I'm not very good yet since I'm teaching myself, but I figured I could show you it now." Arthur admitted shyly.

"I'm not gonna laugh. Just show me!"

"Okay! Just be quiet for a second!" Arthur shushed his friend and cupped his own hands together. He followed the steps he'd been following. He cleared his head and then focused on making a ball of energy in his hand. Then he made the ball swirl and slowly drop in temperature. He felt his hands start to get cold with the dropping temperature inside, but he didn't let go quite yet. He focused harder, trying to make it bigger and faster and then allowed his hands to fly open so that they were a good six inches away from each other and the tiny tornado danced in his hands for a few seconds. It was enough to impress Alfred, who clapped Arthur on the back and congratulated him for learning how to do that much in such a short amount of time, which made his face heat up from embarrassment and pride.

"Just think how much better you'll be if you were able to get that far in a month! You'll have it mastered in no time!" Alfred said with a thumbs-up. Alfred admitted later that he was happy that it was the magic Arthur was hiding from him and not some secret girlfriend or something else, which made Arthur too embarrassed to move for a few seconds.

Years seemed to be passing by too quickly for Arthur. It seemed like only yesterday Arthur was making tiny tornadoes dance in his palms and Alfred was only just learning the basics of any fight in his own classes. Maybe Arthur was feeling nostalgic because it had been so long since he had come here, though five years hardly seemed like a long time in the long run. It had been two years since he discovered magic. Two years since Alfred was playing with sticks in the courtyard and showing off what seemed to be such a small amount of knowledge compared to everything he knew now. They had both grown so much, both in mind and body. Arthur was no longer the four foot eight inches thirteen year old. He was now a full five foot five inches fifteen year old. Alfred had also hit his own growth spurts and was now a good two inches taller than his older companion. Arthur realized the days of being the tallest were gone forever, but for some reason he didn't really care. Alfred had to be taller with all the muscle he had gained. He now had two years of extremely thorough training under his belt and he definitely had the body to prove it-he hardly looked like he was only fourteen. He was still a little thin and lanky as his growth spurts seemed to hit as a few inches over night and then he stopped growing, but he was by no means the tiny little thing Arthur had met five years ago. Alfred had also started reading more. His teachers convinced him that on top of the on-hand learning that he'd been doing, he'd also have to have book-smarts and start figuring out what his fighting technique was.

"You don't want to be a brute, do you? All muscle and no brain?" Arthur teased.

"No! None of the awesome heroes are brutes!" Alfred would panic a little after that and furiously flip through the pages of the book, as if the faster he read, the chances of him being a brute would be lessened. Arthur didn't have the heart to tell him that it didn't happen that way so he let Alfred read how he wanted.

Just like how Alfred was getting more involved into Arthur's interests, Arthur was getting more involved in Alfred's interests. Fighting was a great way to relieve the stress of being a wizard, and it helped give Arthur a sense of muscle too. Just like being a brute was a bad thing, having only book smarts was equally as bad. Alfred would go easy on Arthur as he obviously wasn't as trained as the taller male, but others they would just rough house and play around.

Alfred usually won, go figure. Arthur would usually try to dodge Alfred for as long as possible, but he did not have the stamina that Alfred did and would get tackled and pinned to the ground when his speed started to fall. Usually he would try and squirm away, but they fell to ground and Arthur wasn't moving as he usually did. A huge smile was on his face as Alfred pinned his arms above his head. They were both out of breath now.

"You're getting better." Alfred said between breaths, his dark blond hair clinging to his forehead.

"Or maybe you're slacking." Arthur panted out. "But I know something you don't know."

"And what would that be?" the taller boy was breathing close to normal again and he was starting to pull his guard back up. Arthur smirked before glancing up at his hands briefly. Alfred had his hands on his wrists just low enough that he could curl his hands up to grab Alfred's lower forearm. "Wait a second-!" Too late. Alfred couldn't snatch his arms away fast enough to avoid the cold shock that just passed into his arms. He yelped in surprise and leapt off his friend. "That's cheating!"

"Is not!"

"Is so! You can't just go and use magic in a rough housing match!"

"I believe I just proved I very well can." Arthur practically sang. He was so close to mastering this spell and he was incredibly proud of himself. Alfred got to show off new things every day, but Arthur's skills took lots of training and self discipline to get right, and that took weeks!

"Okay. I think I'm okay with losing one out of like the 600 times we've fought." Alfred grinned. "But seriously! Do you know how cold that was? You coulda toned it down a bit y'know!"

"I did tone it down. The spell isn't called Blizzard for no reason, Alfred." Arthur grinned.

"Coulda toned it down more then."

"But where's the fun in that?"

Alfred didn't reply and instead mumbled something under his breath. Arthur didn't bother asking what it was. He was too happy with himself to have almost completely mastered this spell. His first spell. Wizards knew tons of spells though now that Arthur thought about it. His books didn't have many spells in them as they were often very expensive and the books he had were for beginners, but he would have to make do with what he had until he started earning his own money. Fire looked like a fairly simple spell too, and it would contrast with Blizzard. That might also make it a little more difficult to learn though. At least he wouldn't have to learn how to focus his energy, just manipulate it into fire.

"You start working next year…" Alfred suddenly said.

"What?"

"You'll be sixteen, meaning you'll have to get a job. The orphanage isn't going to take care of you anymore…" Alfred sighed.

"Oh-yes. I guess so." Arthur hadn't been thinking about that. "Don't worry. It's not like I'll be going far."

"I'm going with you." Alfred stated. Arthur raised his impressive eyebrows. "I'm not going to let you go out there by yourself. Plus, it'd be easier for you to get a job that way too. No offence but you aren't very strong and most of the people around here need people that can pull twice their weight and you…can't."

Arthur let out a huff. "And I suppose Miss Lizzy's just going to let you leave at the ripe old age of fifteen?"

"I'm not that much younger than you! It's only a couple months! Plus, she knows better than anyone that I can do it!" Alfred explained.

"Alfred-I really don't think-"

"It's not like we don't plan on working together anyways, so what's the harm?"

"Al-"

"C'mon! Please, Arthur! Pretty please!"

"On one condition then. I want you to prove to me that it's beneficial to me to let you tag along. If not, you're staying here the full ten months we're apart until you're allowed to leave. Got it?" It was kind of an ultimatum, but Arthur wanted to make it difficult for Alfred. Alfred was his best friend and he didn't want to let him suffer if they couldn't make enough money to feed themselves or pay for his training. Alfred seemed to be thinking this over very carefully until it looked like a light went off behind his blue eyes.

"I have the perfect way to prove it to you then! But it will have to wait until Saturday when I don't have class, okay?"

"Okay…" Alfred let out a very loud cheer and hugged Arthur, squeezing him so hard that he couldn't breathe.

The next three days passed the slowest they ever had in Arthur's entire life. Alfred wouldn't give him any clues to what his big plan was, but anytime he was around, Arthur was constantly reminded of Saturday. If Alfred wasn't around, Arthur thought about him which made him think about Saturday even more! He contemplated freezing Alfred with Blizzard until he gave in and told Arthur what the big plan was, but Arthur had a sense of decency and within that was stated that giving your best friend frostbite was an incredibly rude thing to do. Arthur was extremely happy when he woke up that Saturday to an equally happy Alfred whom was getting ready for the plan. "Dress comfortably! It's a little bit of a walk!" Alfred grinned, throwing some random clothes at Arthur.

Two hours later, Arthur regretted waking up. They had been hiking uphill and his legs were hurting from all the walking. He tripped over tree roots and rocks a couple times already and Alfred would just laugh at him. There was a nagging feeling going off in the back of Arthur's head, but he couldn't figure out what it was trying to say so he ignored it.

"I could carry you, y'know."

"And only prove that I need you so easily? I don't think so." Arthur would breathe out. Alfred would shrug and keep leading Arthur up. Thirty minutes later, Arthur finally figured out why the alert was sounding in his head. "Alfred!"

"What?"

"Are we going where I think you're taking us? I swear to God if we are-"

"That depends on where you think we're going." Alfred said, picking up his pace. Arthur chased after him.

"Alfred! You know we can't be up here! Do you seriously want to become dragon lunch?"

"I'm not going to become lunch!" Alfred argued.

"You're being a complete idiot! Get back down here! We can't go up there!"

"Make me!" Alfred laughed, climbing up with ease. Arthur trailed behind him. The trees were getting thicker and he was losing sight of his friend. Arthur continued to chase Alfred down, yelling insults and threats that went ignored by his companion. Alfred finally stopped and Arthur took this as an invitation to speed up and catch up with his friend. He scrambled uphill and slapped Alfred as hard as he could on the back of Alfred's head, but Alfred only flinched. He was too busy staring ahead. Arthur followed his gave to the mouth of a cave, overgrown with weeds and vines. "Let's go!" Arthur grabbed the back of Alfred's tunic. "Arthur! C'mon! I only wanna go inside for a minute and look around! You can stay here if you want, but I'm going." Alfred pried Arthur's hands off and marched towards the cave entrance. He didn't even look back as he entered, leaving Arthur all by himself. Arthur could sit here and do nothing while his best friend in the entire world was potentially risking his life in a possible dragon's cave and hope that Alfred would come out safely or he could march inside the cave and be just as stupid as Alfred.

"I must be out of my mind." Arthur groaned as he sprinted towards the cave. He was blasted with a gust of warm air upon entrance that made his hair fly off of his forehead briefly before falling back in place. He sprinted down the tunnel after his friend. Alfred couldn't be that deep in the cave right? How deep was the cave? Was there even a dragon in here? What was Alfred hoping to accomplish by taking Arthur here? Arthur's thoughts came to a halt as his foot caught something, sending him to the ground face first. He looked over his shoulder to see Alfred, grinning at him with a smile that just screamed "I knew you'd be after me eventually."

"Shut up."

"I didn't say anything." Alfred hummed, grabbing Arthur's arm and helping him up.

"Great. You've been in here long enough, let's go."

"There's still more cave! Don't tell me you're chicken."

"I'm not chicken! I just don't want to get eaten by a dragon!" Alfred raised his eyebrows at Arthur in a way that seemed to challenge the shorter male. It was the type of unspoken challenge that one boy issued against another that just could not be declined, no matter how wrong you knew it was. Arthur knew that and Alfred knew that. "Fine. But if we're in too deep, we're turning back." he growled. Alfred smiled. The continued forward in the cave, Alfred leading the way with Arthur following close enough that he stepped on Alfred's heels. Instead of getting colder and damper, the cave slowly became warmer and the air became very stuffy and stale, making it harder to breathe.

"Hey! Look at that!" Alfred made a dive for a pile of rocks near the cave's wall. He picked it up. "This is a pretty cool lookin' rock! I didn't think they could get so smooth and stuff!" he mused, turning the thing over and over again in his hands. Arthur had to agree. He had only seen a rock this smooth in rivers where water passed over the rock to wear them down. Alfred set it back down, losing interest. "Let's go deeper!" Alfred suggested. Before Arthur had a chance to think about it, Alfred was already dragging him further into the rocky cavern. There were more strange rocks Arthur noticed, mainly in groups and bundles in little areas. There was something fishy about them and Arthur felt like he'd seen them somewhere before. "Whoa! Arthur! Look at that!" Alfred hollered. He dashed forward, towards another nest of rocks. They were the same shape and texture as the ones Arthur had been seeing, but these were shinier, prettier, and very nicely arranged on what looked like a bed. Alfred went to investigate while Arthur stayed behind.

If this was a dragon's cave, it was a lot different than what Arthur was expecting. He expected there to be a sleeping dragon atop piles upon piles of gold and priceless gems. He didn't think it would look like an average cave with weird looking rocks. It was unbearably hot too. Arthur felt like he was going to die, the heavy air getting extremely hard to take in and out of his lungs.

"Arthur! Look at this!" Alfred yelled. Arthur spun around to see the taller blond right next to him, holding a rock in Arthur's face. "Can I keep it? Pleaaase?" It was one of the pretty ones that Alfred had looked at. That shape was still-

"Alfred! Put that back! That's an egg!" Alfred held it to his chest protectively.

"But Artyyy!"

"No."

"Pleaaase?"

"No!"

"But she looks just like me!"

"Alfred, it's an egg."

Alfred glanced down at the egg. It shined a light blue with darker blue speckles. It was pretty cute for an egg, Arthur supposed. "But she will look just like me when she hatches!"

"You don't even know how long it's been here!"

"I have a feeling."

"And what if that feeling is wrong?"

"It's not! This is how a Dragoon is supposed to get his dragon! You go off instinct! It all comes down to destiny! When I'm this close-" Alfred made a gesture with his index finger and thumb, making about an inch gap, "-to becoming a Dragoon, it hatches! I have this feeling and I can't ignore it!"

"…where on earth did you hear that?"

"In that book you threw at my face that long ago." Alfred said flatly, petting his egg. Arthur choked on air.

"You actually read it?"

_Grrrrrrrrrrooooowwwwwlllllll._

"…was that your stomach, Alfred?"

"No…at least I don't think it was." A gust of hot, pungent air blasted across the boys.

They very slowly turned their heads, and when they made their spin, they were face to face with a full-grown, humongous, red scaly face with two tons of teeth, bright green eyes and what looked to be an expression of complete and total anger. A massive tongue flicked out, tasting the air in front of Alfred and Arthur before returning to the mouth from which it came. The face began to rise and Arthur noted it was attached to a very long neck, at the base of which tow large, leathery wings sprouted. That whole part was attacked to a colossal, bulky body of muscle and scales. A dragon. Apparently, a mother dragon. The monster opened her mouth, unveiling the many rows of sharp, pointy teeth and let out an earsplitting roar that reverberated off the rocky walls of the cave, knocking debris loose from the ceiling and sent tumbling all around the cavern. Alfred and Arthur screamed along with it, Arthur grabbing hold of Alfred as if he were a life-preserver. The cry seemed to go on forever, but when it did stop, the two boys were still screaming, their ears still ringing. Alfred was the first to stop and when he recovered, he slapped one hand over Arthur's mouth, holding onto the blue egg with his other hand. The dragon stared at the two boys incredulously.

"A-Arthur. I have an idea." Alfred whispered.

"W-what?"

"You distract the dragon with…Blizzard or whatever…and I'll run away."

"EXCUSE ME?" Arthur screamed. Wrong thing to do. The dragon immediately perked up, baring its teeth into a sneer as it glared down with its green, cat-like eyes.

"RUN!" Alfred managed to holler before the giant red beast let out another ear-shattering bellow. The taller boy grabbed a hold of Arthur's hand and made a mad dash for the archway they entered in, bolting around rocks that had fallen from the top of the cave and obstructed their path and leaping over tremendous cracks and crevices that widened as sound waves beat mercilessly upon them. Arthur felt an intense heat emitting from behind himself. He looked to see the last fizzles of fire go out with a puff of smoke before the dragon breathed more. And then Arthur found himself back in the tunnel he and Alfred walked down to get in there. Luckily it was just one tunnel that didn't branch off into other ones, but it was still a lengthy tunnel. He could still hear the dragon clearly, its roar making the entire passage shudder and shake. It didn't take as long getting out of the tunnel as it did getting in, and even after they hit the first patch of grass and sunlight, they didn't stop running. They raced and stumbled down the mountain, avoiding trees, roots, sticks, and whatever else that could send the two tumbling. They didn't stop running when they reached the base of the mountain. They didn't stop running when they reached the little village. They only stopped when they made it to the courtyard of the orphanage, both of them collapsing to the ground as they tried to fill their burning lungs with oxygen.

"I hate you…so…much…" Arthur breathed out after five minutes of heavy breathing. "If you ever…do anything…as dumb as…this ever…again…I'm going to kill you." Alfred coughed in reply. They continued to lie in the grass, trying to catch their breath and squirming in the grass in hopes that it would help their screaming lungs fill faster. Arthur felt as if his entire body was made of lead. He had never run so fast or long in his entire life and he hoped he would never have to do it again. A shadow fell over his face and he opened his eyes, unaware that they were even closed. Alfred was hovering over him, a triumphant smile on his red face. Arthur narrowed his eyes. The honey blond was holding something above his head as well. A rather large, smooth blue stone with speckled dotted around the entire object.

"You actually kept…the egg…" Arthur groaned. "If I wasn't so sore, I would slap you across the face."

"Of course I kept it. We went through all that trouble." Alfred tumbled to the ground, lying shoulder to shoulder with his friend. Arthur closed his eyes again.

"We only went through all of that because you led us up there."

"On the challenge you made. Speaking of which…" they both stayed silent for what seemed like forever. Arthur managed to force himself to sit up and star Alfred directly in the eye, hovering over his face as Alfred had done earlier.

"There is no way I'm letting you out of my sight after what happened today."

Alfred smiled. "That's what I was hoping you would say."

Miss Lizzy was not happy the first time Alfred told her he was leaving with Arthur. It took convincing all the way up to the final week of Arthur's sixteenth birthday until she finally cracked and allowed Alfred to leave with the older boy. She was sad to see both of them go, but if Alfred wanted to go out and make a living for himself already, then she wouldn't try to stop him anymore.

They both managed to land jobs at a small farm in the countryside on the other side of town. An elderly couple used to run it with their sons, but they all left to travel or become a knight for the kingdom or whatever else. The couple would close it down, but this was the only place they had called home since they were children and they just couldn't stand to leave. They decided hiring somebody to keep the farm going was the best thing to do. The man liked Alfred right off the bat, but seriously, who wouldn't? Alfred was eager, strong, and always did what he was asked. Not to mention he certainly looked like he could more than handle himself. It was Arthur the man had trouble warming up to; little Arthur who had tiny muscles, an attitude, and affection for books and magic over manly things like fighting and garden tools. But the man accepted them both in the end, not wanting to lose Alfred because he didn't want Arthur. The farmer's wife was different. Sure she liked Alfred, but she preferred Arthur's help and knowledge, always saying it was more practical to know how to use a needle over farming equipment. Arthur was good at organization and he was exceptionally useful in the housework that couldn't be kept up with by the old couple. Needless to say he felt a lot more welcomed by the farmer's wife than the farmer.

Since the couple was rather old, they didn't have much money, but they did have a small fortune in savings that they used now that they couldn't work. The wage they were able to offer wasn't the highest in the world, but Alfred and Arthur preferred working in the same place for the minimum than separately for higher pay. There weren't many animals on the farm either. A few chickens and a cow, but that was it. That meant there was no donkey. And because there was no donkey, the strongest boy had to pull the plow anytime a new crop had to be planted. Alfred had stared at the plow, wondering how on earth he was supposed to pull this, Arthur snickering behind him as the farmer clapped Alfred on one of his broad shoulders, saying it wasn't as heavy as it looked. Alfred whimpered, not entirely sure if he would be able to do what was asked of him this time. Arthur somehow managed to convince Alfred to take it as a challenge. The more he was able to plow in one day, the less he would have to do the next day. Alfred liked that idea and had managed to plow the entire field that day, but not without getting a nasty sunburn and straining a muscle in his back. Arthur tried to make Alfred feel better that night by putting some aloe on his burn, but that hurt the strained muscle and when he tried to rub at the muscle, he hurt Alfred's sunburn. Arthur felt horrible that he couldn't help his friend (and felt that he had caused it), but Alfred tried to assure the older boy that he would feel better in the morning. At least Alfred had managed to finish the entire field and didn't have to do much until it was time to plant the seeds, but even the little jobs he had made him wince in pain. Alfred did his best to cover it up, but Arthur wasn't fooled so easily.

Alfred was no longer that boy anymore though. He was very close to six feet tall, if not over six foot. He was probably almost done growing as he was now seventeen years old, but then you never can tell with boys. He might sprout up a few more inches, he might not. Since he did most of the manual labor, any hint of fat that he might have had was pretty much gone. In conjunction with his training, he had grown even more defined muscles. They were big, but not comically so. His biceps strained slightly against his tunic when he flexed, assuming he'd actually wear one when he worked. He didn't sunburn as easily anymore either and he sported a nice, even tan across his entire body. Arthur tried many times to convince Alfred to wear a hat and tunic while he worked to avoid making his skin leathery, but Alfred refused.

"Even you know that only happens if you put fat on your skin, and even then it takes a lot of time outside." Alfred laughed, slapping Arthur's shoulder.

Arthur had grown taller as well, but not as tall as Alfred. He was nowhere near being as big as Alfred, in height or muscles. While Alfred worked fields, Arthur was indoors, patching clothes and doing laundry. He also noticed that in comparison to Alfred, he was extremely pale. Alfred would often times make fun of him, saying he was turning into a girl.

"But then again, most girls know how to cook…" Alfred thought, bringing his mug of lemonade halfway to his lips, "But then again you do everything else a girl does too." Alfred took a very a deep drink of the yellow liquid, some of if spilling from the cup and running down his jaw.

"Except flirt with you." Alfred choked, coughing and sputtering until Arthur managed to stop laughing and slapped him on the back to clear his lungs. They left that conversation alone after that, though Alfred still occasionally teased Arthur about his slow and steady transformation into a female.

When the two boys, now very close to being men, were not working on the farm, they were continuing their own training. Alfred no longer went to practice every day and now only went four days a week if he could manage it and Arthur barely had time to practice his magic. He hadn't learned a fire spell yet. He just wasn't able to get into the mindset after Blizzard. Learning a spell of the completely opposite element was way too hard, so he settled for learning the sleep spell instead. Sleep was easier to learn over Fire, but it was still hard to find time to practice. At least after two years of deciding on learning it, he had mastered the spell almost as well as he had Blizzard down when he had only two years of experience (by now he'd been working on it for four years and it was a whole lot more powerful) , which made him extremely proud. Maybe now he would have the confidence to learn Fire.

_SPLASH!_

Alfred cannonballed into the lake for the tenth time that day. "C'mon, Arthur! Why don't you join me?" he called, wiping his wet hair from his forehead. The little piece that always seemed to defy gravity was still sticking up, even though it was drenched with lake water.

"I'm busy!" Arthur huffed. He'd been at this Fire spell for over a month and he still had not even managed to conjure a single spark. He'd keep on practicing until he learned how to do this, even if it took him a ridiculous amount of time.

"But, Arthurrr!" Alfred whined.

"Alfred, bother me one more time and I swear to God I will freeze that lake. And I will make sure you don't get out until I learn Fire." Arthur threatened. And he could do it too. Alfred took the hint and started splashing around on his own, singing some random song way off key to keep himself entertained. Arthur rolled his eyes and went back to his spell. Fire was a lot different than Blizzard. You had to approach the spell with a totally different perspective and that was very hard to do when you had mastered and had been using the same spell your entire magical career. Well, okay, he knew Sleep now, but that didn't mean he forgot Blizzard. Sleep had a similar approach as Blizzard so it was easier to learn. While those spells needed you to focus on fluid and calm emotions, Fire needed you to fuel your energies with desires and drive. It was difficult to place the emotions needed for Fire. Hate and rage and anger were uncontrollable and raw and made fire difficult to control and could even cause it to backfire and explode, but if you focused on a weak emotion, then you couldn't get a spark. It was all about drive. You needed a reason to learn Fire. A good reason to learn. This was hard as Arthur didn't have a mentor to give him an example. He was on his own. Being a good mage wasn't a good enough reason as it proved. It was too vague, too meaningless and insignificant and it didn't mean enough to Arthur.

Think.

_What means to most to me? What is the one thing I'd be willing to die to protect? What is the single thing that drives me to do better in everything?_

"Arthurrr! Are you done yet? I'm bored!" Alfred whined.

"NO!" Arthur yelled. Alfred started to pout and sank into the water, letting bubbles reach the surface as he completely submerged himself in the lake. Arthur rolled his eyes. If Alfred wanted to drown himself, so be it. Then a little idea made itself into his head that made Arthur's entire face heat up. But it was ridiculous. There was no way it would work. It seemed like a really silly reason. But then again…it wasn't _that_ farfetched. It could work. He didn't really have anything to lose. "I'm crazy for trying this." Arthur mumbled. He focused everything he had on that one little thought, clearing his head of everything but the idea and closed his eyes. He sat there for a few minutes, hands pointed at a leaf he had been trying to ignite for the past hour. There was no way it was working. It was silly to think this would work. Then he felt something warm beneath his hands. He opened one of his eyes to peek down, not really expecting anything. He almost didn't believe it and he was staring straight at it. The leaf was crinkling, bright orange flames engulfing it from the center outwards, leaving behind a trail of ash, a small amount of smoke rising up to tickle Arthur's nostrils. This was amazing! The thought actually worked! Arthur was finally able to conjure flames. The one magical thing he had put off because it was too difficult was finally allowing Arthur to manipulate it.

_SPLASH!_

Water drenched Arthur and everything around him, the flame going out with a soft sizzle as the clear liquid engulfed it. A month of frustration and hard work disappeared with the tiny flame. Arthur almost wanted to cry. "Alfred." he said sweetly, not looking away from the mostly-burned leaf. Alfred let out a hum. "You have ten seconds to get out of that water before I freeze it and give you a very literal case of blue balls."

"Wha-" Alfred started, a little concerned at first, but he took the threat as a joke and began to laugh. "You're funny, Arty. Real funny." Arthur stayed silent. Alfred's laughter faded. "What? Why? Because I splashed you?"

"You put out my fire!"

"I put out that little candle you had going there."

"Six."

"Huh?"

"Five."

"Arthur. Don't do anything brash."

"Four."

"Okay! I'm moving!" Alfred stumbled out of the water, clumsily getting back on dry land and scurrying to his clothes. Arthur still hadn't moved, mourning his poor little flame's death. He wanted nothing more than to beat Alfred's head into a tree multiple times. He supposed he would have to forgive him though. Alfred was the reason Arthur could even start to use Fire, even if Arthur didn't want to admit it. "Do you smell smoke?" Alfred asked, pulling on his pants. Arthur sniffed the air. There was the faint smell of smoke. It smelled as if it were far off and heavy.

"Maybe someone has a fire pit going in town?" Arthur offered. Alfred shrugged before putting on his tunic.

"You ready to go? I'm tired." Alfred asked, letting out a yawn. Arthur nodded and gathered his things, stuffing his books into the leather bag he carried with him. "Betsy should appreciate being back in her crate at least." Alfred said, patting his own bag.

"I've told you a million times, you don't even know if Betsy's a girl or not. And your dragon is an egg. I don't think it really cares where it's stored as long as it doesn't crack."

"Betsy cares." Alfred argued through pursed lips. Arthur stuck out his tongue and Alfred did the same. "But just you watch. She's so close to hatching. I know she is."

"Let's just go." Arthur sighed, starting down the path he and Alfred had discovered to get to this lake. They continued to talk, mainly about dragons, but they also talked about what they planned on doing now that they were pretty much all grown up. Arthur was eighteen and could leave, now able to buy potions and spell books without getting weird looks, and, well Alfred looked like he was old enough to do all of those things.

"There's nothing stopping us! We have the money and we can leave anytime we want! It's not like we have anything waiting for us here." Alfred reasoned. A twinge of hurt struck Arthur. Alfred was right. There was nothing there for them, no family holding them back. They only had each other.

"I suppose you're right. It is about time to start making plans for bigger things." As much as Arthur liked it here, but Alfred was ready to move on and Arthur didn't want Alfred to leave him behind. Alfred suddenly stopped moving. "Al?" No response. "Alfred?" he stayed silent, staring straight ahead, his blue eyes wide as if he had just seen a ghost. Arthur followed his gaze. They were on the top of a hill that overlooked their tiny town-or at least what was left. Fires raged, causing devastation to every corner of the village. Buildings that weren't on fire were scorched black and it was nearly impossible to tell what it was before the destruction. The stables where Alfred trained were nothing but rubble. The orphanage where Alfred and Arthur spent their childhood was still burning, the stone walls falling as the flames licked at every square inch of the building; the wooden parts slowly crumbled into ash and fell to the ground. Even the farm that Alfred and Arthur had spent the last two years was nearly gone, the fields that were so close to maturity now dead and blackened and useless. Everything was gone. Everything Arthur and Alfred had grown up seeing and playing with and spending their time was dead or gone. And it wasn't coming back.

Whether they were ready to leave or not, now it was time to go and start their new lives.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

And there you have it! The prologue! Mainly Alfred and Arthur (get used to this lol) Not a lot to say about it (heh)

Thanks to foofie88 for cowriting this with me! Foofie's just as much to blame for this as me. =w=/

I hope you all enjoy! Hope to see you next chapter!


	2. Chapter 1

Catch the Falling Sky  
><em>Chapter 1<em>

* * *

><p>The closer Alfred and Arthur got to the town, the sicker Arthur started to feel. Up close, he could see every little scorched brick, every little piece of ash, and every little destroyed item Arthur had seen every day. That wasn't the worst part. Up close, Arthur could see everybody that had suffered. Shriveled up bodies of the people that couldn't make it out of the fire in time were everywhere, hanging out of windows, lying motionless on the floors of their homes and businesses. What made Arthur extremely sick to his stomach was that he couldn't recognize a single person among all the bodies; they had been destroyed beyond recognition. The smell was unbearable as well; the air as thick and heavy with black smoke, forcing the two boys to lift their shirts over their noses just to keep from choking on the poisonous gasses surrounding them.<p>

"Don't look at them." Alfred said as stoically as he could, trying to hide his own disgust. Arthur obeyed and focused on the ground in front of him, staring at his leather boots as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. They continued to walk silently, Alfred scanning the roads and buildings for a survivor that didn't exist. Arthur began to cough, his thin tunic not doing much to protect his lungs from the noxious gasses. Alfred sent him a look of apology. "Just one more place and I promise we'll leave." The last place was the farm, or what was left of it. Alfred led them into a burned corn field, knocking over stalks that turned into ash as he touched them. Black ash rubbed onto their skin and clothes, leaving behind smudges and stains.

Seeing the farm in ruins was probably the hardest thing Arthur had done all day. The big red barn where Alfred and Arthur had spent almost all of their free time in was nothing but blacked beams and scorched rubble. Smaller pieces of wood were scattered about the foundation like ants right after their trail has been interrupted. Nothing was left untouched by the flames, some pieces of wood still glowed orange with cinders, and everything was destroyed. All of their belongings, clothes, books, _everything_ was gone. Arthur glanced to the right. Even the little cottage that the farmer and his wife lived was mutilated, the red bricks scorched and burned. The wooden parts were missing, and the wall looked as though Arthur could have pushed it down with his little finger. He wanted to say something to break the silence, anything to break the silence, but words seemed to be a bad choice. Arthur doubted he could say anything anyways. He wanted Alfred to say something, just to fill the silence like he always did every waking second of the day, maybe then it wouldn't be as bad. But no. Alfred was as quiet as ever, his face set in stone, his jaw rigid. He was grinding his teeth, Arthur noted, the muscles on his face tightening and loosening with each little movement of his jaw. Other than that, Alfred wasn't moving and every part of him looked tense.

Arthur dropped to his knees, unable to stand anymore. He doubled over, feeling as if he had been punched in the stomach. Alfred sent an apologetic stare at Arthur, which he didn't see.

"Arthur?" Alfred said gingerly, leaning down to Arthur's level. He hesitantly placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder, not really knowing what to do, or at least that's the vibe Arthur got. Alfred couldn't really say, _"Cheer up. Things will get better_." like he always did when Arthur got upset, no matter how grim things looked. But their caretakers were gone, their belongings were gone, and their home was gone. Arthur stifled a sob. Something sounded in the distance, causing Alfred to jump to his feet. "Arthur, you need to get up." he bent down and grabbed Arthur by the wrist, pulling him up as well. "C'mon, Arthur. We need to get moving." Arthur didn't say anything but followed Alfred, who had begun walking towards the barn. He carefully stepped over pieces of wood, kicking some over and to the side to make the walk for Arthur a little easier. Arthur's green eyes darted everywhere from where wall used to stand to where they fell. He grimaced as grey ash fell in a light flurry in the breeze like little snowflakes. A few landed in Alfred's hair as he kicked another beam, knocking into one of the few that stood to shape the roof. Alfred made his way over to where their beds used to be. As expected, they were gone as well, lost to the flames and instead a pile of scorched wood and ash. Alfred started to dig through the rubble with his bare hands, trying to find anything that had survived that they could use. Usually Arthur would scold him and tell him to put on gloves, but he couldn't get his vocal chords to work. He frowned when Alfred let out a curse, pulling his hands back as though he'd been bitten. Everything was still warm, only just recently gone out. Arthur hadn't noticed before, but he was sweating slightly from the heat the ruins were giving off. Smoke was still rising from some of the piles of debris.

While Alfred continued to dig, Arthur decided to look around the remaining parts of the destroyed barn. It didn't look very stable anymore, that was for sure. Arthur feared one of the ceiling beams would come crashing down at any moment, sending both Alfred and himself into the clutches of death, but he pushed that thought out of his mind. Arthur found where he stored his small collection of magic books. There weren't much of them left, just a few scorched spines and loose papers that fell to pieces when he tried to pick them up. He let out a sigh. At least he still had the book and scrolls in his bag, so he wasn't going to be completely lost. Not that you need a book to continue doing spells, only to learn them. It didn't change the fact that it made Arthur upset. The first spell he had ever learned was in one of the few books he had left behind.

A tap at his shoulder took Arthur out of his grieving. He glanced over to see Alfred standing behind him. "Not much survived," he said sheepishly, "But I was able to find a couple coins and stuff. If anything, we can always trade it with a blacksmith since it is metal…" Alfred sighed. Arthur just stared at him. The taller boy leaned down again, pulling in his legs so he was sitting with his legs crossed, facing his friend. He took a breath and the two sat in silence, Arthur blinking at his friend with a deadpan stare. "Look," Alfred started, "We obviously can't stay here. Whatever did this to the village is still out there and it might come back. There's a town past the forest, and I know that if we can get there, we'll be better off." he searched Arthur's face for a response. Finding none, he continued to talk. "If we finish up our search here and find anything that can help us in the town, then we can go to the training grounds and hopefully find some weapons, for me at least." Alfred continued. Again Alfred searched for a reply, but Arthur wasn't giving him one. He let out a sigh and got to his feet, pulling Arthur up as well.

Getting out of the barn was a lot easier than going into it. Alfred didn't have to move or climb over anything as a path had already been cleared. Alfred immediately started for the little house, Arthur on his heels. The shorter blond didn't really want to go inside as it looked like it could collapse at any given moment, more so than the barn, and since there was more of the house standing, getting out if it did collapse would be near impossible. Alfred didn't seem to be thinking that though. Hesitantly, he put his hand on the doorknob, probably making sure it wasn't hot, before pushing the door open. It dragged across the floor, catching on the burned floorboards.

"You can stay out here if you want. It's not exactly safe in there." Alfred offered. Arthur shook his head and Alfred half shrugged. It was easy to tell that he didn't want Arthur to come inside, but he wasn't going to argue. "Just…stay close, alright?" Arthur did stay close to his friend, following him into the house. Shards of glass lay strewn about among picture frames and knick knacks littered across the entryway. Alfred carelessly stepped on the pieces with a crunching sound, kicking a few out of his way, his leather boots protecting his feet from cuts and slashes that would surely make their way onto him if he wasn't wearing them. Arthur did the opposite and stepped carefully around and over the debris.

The living room was just as bad, if not worse, than the hallway. The furniture was burned to a black crisp, still giving off puffs of smoke into the heavy air, making even more difficult to breathe. The rug that covered the floor was nothing more than a rectangle of black ash with random pieces of glass and broken items scattered around it, the heads of some figurines lay several feet from their bodies, smiling sickeningly with half their face smeared and covered in black. Alfred kicked one of them and made his way towards the back rooms. The back rooms were more where the farmer and his wife stayed, their bedroom and the room that they kept most of their valuables in. Alfred and Arthur never really went back there since their own space was in the barn and they were never needed in the back. Arthur had been in the rooms a few times to help with cleaning and things like that. They weren't extraordinary or magnificent. They were just rooms.

Alfred led the way down the second hallway, peeking in one of the rooms as he made his way forward. Arthur stayed close behind, not liking the creaking sounds the walls made as they stepped further and further into the house. He especially didn't like the way the floor was bowing under their weight, threatening to snap at any given moment. They were probably over the basement, Arthur concluded. It was never really used, but it stored a couple things and served as a storm shelter if the weather got bad. They hadn't quite reached the end of the hallway when a tremendous _CRACK_ sounded from above. Both boys' heads snapped up as ash began to rain down on them. Something happened and now the roof was starting to cave in. Alfred was the first one to move and with one lightning fast movement, he shoved Arthur back roughly and sprang backwards towards the end of the hallway. Arthur fell roughly on his right shoulder, his hip landing harshly on his bag causing pain to shoot up his nerves and send tiny shocks through his back, making him see little stars and bursts of light before his eyes. Dust unsettled itself as more of the ceiling caved in the hallway, forming dark clouds the billowed and swirled into the air. Arthur accidentally breathed in some of the ash before he was able to cover his face and began coughing violently from the back of his throat. It took a few minutes for him to clear his lungs, and even after he did, his muscles hurt and he was shaking. He quickly turned his attention to the huge block of beams and rubble that now took up residence in the middle of the hallway. Arthur scrambled towards it.

"Alfred!" he yelled, digging at scraping at the pile, trying to get through. Alfred coughed on the other side.

"Arthur? Are you okay?" he called.

"I'm fine! Are you?"

"For the most part." A loose beam that hadn't fallen before tumbled down and fell on Arthur, who let out a yelp of pain. "Arthur!" Arthur shook off the feeling of lightheadedness.

"I'm okay." Arthur said weakly, leaning against the wall.

"Hey! I think there's a beam down here that I can lift on the bottom. If you're feeling up to getting over here…"

"I am…I'm not letting you go in there on your own. Where's the beam?"

"Down on the bottom. It's near the side. I think there's a little bit of a hole. I can see your boots." Arthur leaned over so that he was flat on his stomach, finding the hole Alfred was talking about. Alfred waved from the other side, one of his eyes closed as he grinned. The hole looked just a tad bit too small for Arthur to crawl through, but it might be big enough for him if Alfred lifted the beam like he said. "I don't think I'll be hold it up very long 'cause there's a lot of stuff on it, so crawl fast, okay?" Alfred vanished from sight. Arthur heard a few things clatter to the floor before Alfred spoke again, "On the count of three. One…two…three!" Alfred let out a grunt and the hole quickly got bigger. Big enough for Arthur to crawl through, though barely. "Arthur! Come on!" Alfred growled. Arthur shimmied through, his bare arms getting smudged black and receiving tiny slivers of glass and wood. Again ash got up his nose and he suppressed the urge to cough. He quickly pulled himself out of the hole on Alfred's side, scrambling away before Alfred dropped the beam. Alfred fell backwards, panting. The beam must have been just above his limit. Something on the taller boy's arms caught Arthur's attention. He crawled over cautiously, pulling at one of Alfred's arms. Alfred sent him a sideways glance before looking away quickly. Arthur glared at him and looked back down.

"You're bleeding." Arthur huffed.

"It's nothing." Alfred groaned, pulling away. Arthur continued to hold on. Large gashes and streaks of black ran down Alfred's forearm, red blood mixing with the black streaks. Arthur looked up at Alfred's face, which was turned away. Arthur leaned forward over his friend. Alfred's other arm was similar in injury. Still Alfred looked away.

"Alfred, look at me." Alfred didn't obey. "Alfred." he still ignored the green-eyed boy. Arthur forced Alfred to turn his head with a rough tug on the boy's chin. Alfred gritted his teeth, but gave up and let Arthur look at his face. A scratch stretched from just above his eyebrow down to his cheekbone. It wasn't deep so there wouldn't be a scar, but Alfred screwed his eye shut.

"I can't open it without it hurting…" he admitted. "I think I scratched my eye or got something in it…" he looked Arthur, his eyebrows furrowed in worry. Arthur turned away. This happened when Alfred pushed him out of the way. It was Arthur's fault he was hurt. Alfred, for once, sensed Arthur's dismay. "It wasn't your fault, y'know. If anything, it was my own dumb fault for coming in here." he pat Arthur's knee reassuringly, but Arthur didn't feel any better. "There's probably nothing wrong, so don't even worry about it, okay?" Alfred got to his feet again, Arthur following suit, and walked the few steps to the end of the hallway, pausing for a moment. He let his hand hover over the doorknob for a few seconds before pushing it open with a violent shove.

Alfred stepped inside slowly and cautiously, glancing around quickly. He surveyed the ceiling first, making sure nothing looked too unstable before he let Arthur come inside. The older boy scowled but said nothing as he followed his friend.

"Unnnnghh…" a strangled moan barely cut through the air as soft as a whisper. Arthur nearly jumped out of his skin, but he composed himself quickly, turning to find the source of the noise. He scanned the room. A dresser stood in the back corner near a large window. It was probably a very handsome piece of furniture before the flames got to it, but it wasn't now; it would be a miracle if anything inside survived at all. Everything was the same ashy black as the rest of the house and the same rubble littered the room. Something twitched in the corner, causing Arthur to leap backwards into the wall, covering his mouth to stifle a scream. Arthur wouldn't have noticed if the moaning hadn't started again. It was then that he realized it was a person.

"Old man!" Alfred yelped, scrambling over to the body. He was nearly unrecognizable-burned to a crisp while he was still alive. His skin was as black as charcoal and the places that weren't black were bright red with blood running freely from his deep wounds and blisters. His clothes were burned as well, stuck to his body as if it were a layer of flesh. Another throaty moan was given. Alfred hesitantly touched the farmer's shoulder. He turned his head, or he at least tried to. His entire body seemed to be stuck together, trying to turn with him. Alfred leaned further over him, trying to get him to stop moving. It worked, but more strangled gasps and breathing came out.

"Alfred…" it came out as barely a whisper. Arthur had to strain his ears to listen. Alfred leaned in closer. "I want…you to get…out of here…" the farmer struggled. He began to shake violently. Talking had to be a real strain on him since he was riding the line between life and death. He started to cough and Arthur was scared he was going to die right there. Luckily, he was able to recover from his fit. After a few shallow wheezes, it was Alfred's turn to talk.

"J-just hang on. You'll be okay! You can't just-!" Alfred swallowed and worry and urgency laced his voice. Arthur couldn't see his face, but he could see Alfred was shaking.

"There's savings…in the dresser…" the farmer's eyes shifted towards the piece of furniture in the corner before sliding back to the blond leaning over him, sniffling. "Just don't ever-" he started to choke on his words, coughing and sputtering, shaking violently as his life slowly seeped from his body. Arthur found himself shaking as well, but it wasn't because he was dying. The dying man was able to stop coughing. He reached up slowly with a burned hand and tightened his hand around Alfred's collar, pulling him down. "It might…come back…" a very long pause. "Don't ever come back." he whispered. His grip loosened as he slowly let himself fall backwards.

"Wait!" Alfred said loudly. "Arthur can help!" He spun around on his friend, and Arthur noticed wet stains running down his cheeks. "You can! Heal him! Don't let him die!" Arthur pressed himself into the wall.

"Alfred, I can't-" he whispered, but that only succeeded in making the honey blond to lash out in more panic.

"Bullshit! I know you can! You've done plenty of healing spells!"

"On people that weren't dying, Alfred! I can't do something that extensive!" the farmer was right on the line of death and he had been cooked alive. Arthur could only do tiny gashes and bruised, he couldn't repair muscle or organs, which needed to be done on their mentor. Alfred glared at him, his eyes an intense looking ice blue instead of the normal baby blue of the sky. Arthur shuddered.

"You aren't even going to try? You're just going to let him die without even doing anything?"

"I can't do it, Alfred! You of all people should know that!"

The thing about healing spells is they took a lot of energy. The caster literally transfers energy from himself to another person. Not only does it require a lot of energy, healing spells can be complicated, especially greater healing spells. This is why most healers stay healers and don't really do other magic. A magician can learn healing spells and healers can learn elemental spells, but it's usually smarter for them to keep to a certain type so they don't overdo it. Healing spells are easy to overdo and can often lead to a caster's death if they go past their limits.

Alfred spun back around, leaning back over their employer, who had gone completely still. He grabbed at his shoulders, shaking him, begging him to stay with them, but he was already gone: dead. Alfred cursed loudly and fell backwards so that he wasn't on his knees anymore. He hunched over his legs, tangling his fingers into his blond hair.

They sat in near silence for what felt like hours to Arthur. There were a few stifled sobs and sniffles from both of them every now and then, but neither of them acknowledged the other. Arthur shifted uncomfortably. The house had been making occasional sounds when they first came in, but they were getting more frequent and louder as time passed, making Arthur uncomfortable. Alfred didn't seem to take notice, but if he did, he has doing a great job of ignoring it. Arthur was the first to move, making his way to the dresser that had been mentioned. He pulled open a few drawers before he found the one with money in it. It was just a small bag, but it was enough. They didn't need much anyways. Hesitantly, Arthur kneeled next to Alfred, touching his shoulder gently. Alfred didn't look at him, but he didn't pull away either, which made Arthur uncomfortable. Alfred was such an animated person and it was always odd when he was quiet.

"It isn't fair." Alfred finally mumbled.

"It never is." Arthur agreed. Another loud creak sounded. Arthur straightened up, getting to his feet. "Alfred, I don't think the house is going to stand up much longer. We need to leave." A crash sounded somewhere on the other side of the house. "Preferably now."

"Okay." the blue-eyed blond joined his friend, also getting to his feet. Of course they couldn't go back the way they came. Arthur could barely get through the hole where the ceiling collapsed and Alfred was a lot bigger than he was. And there was no way Arthur could lift the beam. Luckily the room had a big window they could crawl out of. Arthur walked quickly towards it and tried to push it up, but it was stuck. It was stuck on itself thanks to the earlier fire. Alfred half rolled his eyes-well eye, his injured eye still remained closed-and lifted a foot, kicking through the glass panes and knocking out the decorative frames in the process. Arthur was happy Alfred was wearing such tough leather boots. At least his feet would remain unharmed, unlike his arms and hands. Alfred climbed out first, hands gripping the top of the window before he crawled out. It was a large window placed so that the sill was even with Arthur's waist, so a leap of faith wasn't exactly needed to get to the outside. Arthur followed after him quickly, scared that the house might collapse any second.

The house didn't fall, at least not right after Arthur got out. It seemed like it should have, for the sake of drama, but it stood there. Alfred turned around and started to walk. "We're going to the training grounds and then we're leaving." Arthur trailed after him. As much as he wanted to walk closer to his friend, he didn't want to risk getting snapped at again. Alfred still looked pretty tense. Alfred didn't say anything about Arthur walking so far behind, but he kept glancing to the sides. Arthur guessed he was making sure Arthur was still there if the fact that he slowed down enough for Arthur to catch up was enough of a hint.

The training grounds weren't much different than usual. They were on the outskirts of town and were mainly an outdoor building with fenced training rings and courtyards. There wasn't much to burn, and the strong walls were built to last. Arthur had only been here a few times to pick up Alfred from his exhausting days because Alfred didn't want to walk home by himself or wanted Arthur to watch him. Out of habit, Alfred went to ring 3, the ring he always practiced in. It was the biggest ring and it was the ring for the advanced students, which was only a class of four or five. Arthur watched as Alfred touched one of the fence posts, sighing before he walked away. Arthur jogged to catch up. The taller blond sent him a glance, but didn't say anything. He stalked off towards the small building, which mainly housed weapons and armor if Arthur remembered correctly. Arthur hurried after his friend, curious to see what was inside.

Alfred pushed the door open and stepped inside. Weapons of all calibers were inside. Flails, maces, daggers, swords, spears, bows, and knives lined the walls, carefully hung in a specific spot based on weight, durability and type. Alfred immediately made his way over to the swords, pulling the one he used most often off the wall. It was a long, heavy-looking sword that reflected light like a mirror. The sword itself was not very elaborate. The hilt was simple, blue with a spherical gem on the bottom and the blade itself was plain, but it was Alfred's sword. It was the sword he had practiced with since his mentor allowed him to choose the weapon he wanted after trying so many different kinds. It was more than a sword; it was a partner. He grabbed the matching sheath that hung in the closet, also blue, and attached it to his belt. He also grabbed a dagger, just in case. As much as he loved his sword, he couldn't exactly wield it in his current condition. He'd have to see a doctor when they got to the next town; maybe he would be able to get Arthur to help him clean up so his wounds wouldn't get infected.

Arthur had never been inside the weapons room. Everything looked so…deadly. Even the armor looked like it was designed to hurt people with the tiny points that stuck out sharply on certain areas of the guards. He wondered exactly how many weapons Alfred had actually been trained with in this room. It was probably over half. Alfred could kill somebody with half the weapons in this very room.

"As much as I want armor, it won't do me much good." came Alfred's voice from behind. Arthur turned. "Because of all these cuts, it will only hurt is what I mean."

"I'm sorry." Arthur apologized, staring down at the floor. Alfred raised his eyebrows, looking at him through one of his blue eyes. He'd calmed down it seemed.

"It isn't your fault." Alfred sighed. "Nothing's been your fault so don't even worry about it, okay?" Arthur nodded. There was an awkward silence between them until Arthur broke it. "I'd say you can take some, but it looks too big and heavy for you."

"It probably is."

"Yea…"

"…"

"Uh-the sooner we get moving, the better. Let's just go. I want to get somewhere before we have to set up for the night. Preferably near water so we can clean up my arms." Alfred said with a new found confidence. He paused for a moment before heading back outside, grabbing a few of the throwing knives off the wall and shoving them on his belt, Arthur behind him. "Uhm-I don't think there's anything too bad in the forest. Nothing we can't handle, but if we run into anything, leave it to me."

"Excuse me?"

"Well-it's just-you aren't-and I _am_…and…" Alfred was at a loss for words. "I didn't mean it in a bad way or anything…"

"I'm sure."

"Can you stop that?"

"Stop what?"

"The two word replies!"

"I wasn't aware it bothered you so much." Arthur smirked. "That was eight. Happy?"

"Right. Because sarcasm makes me feel tons better, Arthur." Alfred fumed, marching down the dirt road. Arthur chased after him. The walk was spent mainly in silence. Alfred was back to being quiet and Arthur didn't want to interrupt and inner thoughts Alfred had for keeping them alive until they got to the next village. Arthur walked beside his companion, not wanting him to worry about going too fast and leaving Arthur behind or something. Though, Arthur had to admit he was kind of bored. He let himself play with his magic for a little while, making the air freeze in his hand and make little ice cubes, dropping them on the ground or letting them melt in his hand. When he got bored of Blizzard, he went to Fire, but his face bloomed bright red when he tried and he decided he didn't want to do it-not with Alfred around anyways; maybe when he had more of a chance to practice, but not now.

Speaking of Alfred, he was still being uncharacteristically quiet. Arthur gazed at him through his peripheral vision. He was still quite rigid, but all the walking seemed to be exhausting him, causing him to slowly relax his muscles. His arms stopped bleeding thankfully, but the sight of the blood mixed with ash made Arthur uneasy. The skin might scab over and trap in some ash, infecting his arms before they had a chance to clean them out properly. The fact that his arms were nearly covered in the mixture made Arthur feel nauseous. He was on the side that had Alfred's injured eye as well-his left eye. He hoped Alfred's eye wasn't damaged permanently. Being blind in one eye would ruin all of his training until today. He had learned to fight off his other senses, but he was severely handicapped until he got used to it. Arthur hugged his elbows uncomfortably. He still felt like it was his fault if Alfred didn't recover from this. The shorter blond quickly glanced away; though Alfred couldn't actually see him staring, but he still felt that Alfred would get the feeling Arthur was watching him, which would be awkward.

A quiet _snap_ sounded somewhere in the woods followed by the sound of leaves getting stepped on. Arthur idly glanced at the trees, brushing off the sounds as squirrels or some other animal. Forest critters had been running around, going about their daily lives as if the town just a few miles away hadn't just burned down. The rustling got louder, but still Arthur ignored it.

"Do you think," Alfred started, "that the doctor there will be able to fix my eye?" Arthur raised his impressive eyebrows and there was more rustling in the woods, slightly louder still.

"I'm sure there's nothing wrong with it." Arthur did his best to sound reassuring, but he got the feeling his voice wavered. Alfred sighed. "Don't worry about it, okay? I'm more than positive it will be just fine."

"I guess." was all the taller blond said. The rustling was now obnoxiously loud, as if somebody was struggling to keep up, but stay hidden. Alfred wheeled around on his heel and grabbed Arthur's arm. "Do you hear that?"

"Do I hear _what_?" A twig snapped in reply.

"_That!_" Alfred hissed.

"It's probably just some rabbits, Al. It's not even dark yet. Surely your irrational fear of ghosts can wait until nightfall."

"First of all, it is _not_ irrational." Alfred argued. Arthur rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, but his friend cut him off. "Secondly, rabbits don't make that much noise!"

"I'll prove to you it's just rabbits then." Arthur pulled out of Alfred's grasp and stepped towards the edge of the woods, crouching near a bush. "C'mere little rabbit then. Prove to the scaredy-cat over there that you're nothing to be afraid of." Alfred made an indignant sound of annoyance from behind him. Something moved closer in the bushes, but it wasn't a rabbit. Large orange eyes stared through leaves back at Arthur and slowly got closer, showing the owner. A green, gnarly face appeared with a large nose and a big mouth. The lower jaw stuck out, two giant, yellow tusks sticking up, one of which were broken.

"Nek is no rabbit…" the monster said in a gurgling voice, "but Nek is more than happy to prove Nek is 'scary." The thing laughed in Arthur's face, spraying him with sticky saliva and hot breath. Alfred let out a yelp from behind and Arthur turned. There was another monster with Nek, as he called himself, on Alfred's back, clawing and scratching at exposed skin and pulling on his blond locks. Arthur realized what these were: goblins. Big goblins at that. A foot struck the back of Arthur's head, causing little white spots to appear in his vision. He fell to the ground with a grunt, earning another laugh from the goblin. He scrambled forward, trying to get away from the attacker, but Nek wrapped a stubby-fingered hand around his ankle and pulled him back.

Alfred fought his goblin easily. It was a minor annoyance trying to get it off his back, but as soon as he managed to flip the goblin over his shoulder, it wasn't that hard for Alfred to bring down the green man, who had years of training under his belt, years of learning how to outsmart enemies smarter than himself. Goblins weren't exactly geniuses, or at least the one he was fighting wasn't. The goblin lunged and quick as a flash, Alfred unsheathed his dagger and stabbed it into the monster's midsection, causing it to freeze before doubling over and dropping to the ground, surprised at how quickly Alfred moved written all over his scarred face. Arthur, on the other hand, had frozen. He had only wrestled with Alfred before, and more times than not, he lost. He would cast a spell, but his throat was closed up, his voice refusing to work. The goblin yanked his blond hair and held a rusty dagger to his throat. "_Come on, Arthur. Think of a spell! A spell! Any spell! Just get out of this! You can't go down this easily!" _Arthur's inner voice was screaming.

"Arthur!" Alfred yelled. The goblin's knife was pressed closer to his throat, drops of blood dripped down his neck and to his collar bones. Alfred stopped dead in his tracks, not wanting to make the wrong move that would cause his friend to lose his head – literally. He held his shining dagger, shimmering with blackish-red liquid, in his hand.

"The mortal boy killed Masezb. Perhaps if the mortal boy's friend died too, he'd learn to be a little more careful." the goblin gurgled. Arthur flinched. The knife was cutting deeper. "Nek feels the mortal boy does not understand what he's done." Alfred's face went white, drained of color as he watched the beads of red drip from the knife at Arthur's neck. He sent a blue-eyed glare at the goblin. Nek chuckled, low and deep.

"You really don't want to do that." Alfred said. Arthur could almost hear Nek raise an eyebrow. Did goblins have eyebrows?

"And why is that, mortal boy?"

"You just don't."

"But I think I do. The mortal boy doesn't know what it's like to lose his comrades." said Nek. Alfred's features darkened and he smirked; a smirk that seemed to challenge Nek's words. Alfred's hand moved to his belt.

"That's one thing about goblins. They're so incredibly stupid." Alfred chirped. The grip on Arthur's hair tightened, causing him to cry out.

"And humans are arrogant fools." Nek retorted. Alfred grinned. Apparently he was able to grab what he needed off his belt, his hand tightening. "Humans believe they are better than all races, when humans are weak mortals with a short life. Humans are not indestructible. In comparison, humans can never live as long as even the lowly goblin. Whatever makes humans so much better than other races, Nek does not know. It is just delusions of the human race." Nek snorted.

"Perhaps." Alfred agreed. Nek probably would have responded, but he didn't have time. Alfred flung what was in his hand towards the goblin. Liquid poured down on the back of Arthur's head and neck and Nek's grip on him loosened. A sudden weight slumped on top of Arthur, moving from just above his hips where Nek sat to his entire back, pinning him to the ground. The weight was quickly removed and he was suddenly on his knees, two strong hands on his shoulders.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" a voice asked. It was oddly familiar Arthur noticed. "Arthur! Snap out of it!" Arthur felt himself moving back and forth; it took a moment to realize that Alfred was shaking him. "Don't you ever," he was saying, "do that again!" Alfred sounded angry. "-could have died!" Very angry.

"It isn't my fault." Arthur whined.

"Like hell it is! If you didn't get over there to try and prove me wrong-!"

"None of this would have happened?" Arthur said coolly, glaring at his friend. He pulled away from Alfred, yanking his shoulders from his hands. "We were being followed!" Alfred's blue eyes flared with an icy fire.

"I'm not the one that needed saving like always!" Alfred snapped. His eyes went wide and he immediately slapped a hand over his mouth. Arthur's eyes narrowed.

"Well then I'm so sorry I'm such a burden on you." Arthur fumed.

"No-I didn't mean it like that-" Alfred started, his voice small. Arthur spun on his heel.

"Let me know when you're ready to stop walking for the night, Alfred. I'll be out of your hair as soon as we get into town." Arthur stalked off, not waiting for Alfred to catch up. He marched onwards, not so much as even looking at the woods when something rustled in the woods. All he saw was his white hot anger and the road in front of him. Alfred wasn't even trying to talk to him. _Good,_ Arthur thought bitterly, _the less he talks to me, the less I have to care._ He walked, anger running through his veins like blood and energy, until the sun started to set. It would be dark soon, and they needed to use the remaining hours of sunlight to set up a camp for the night. There was no possible way they would make it to the next town in one night.

Arthur stopped. Alfred was still a ways behind, avoiding contact with Arthur as best he could. He felt a twang of guilt, but rage was still pounding through him, not letting him forgive Alfred just yet. He waited for Alfred to catch up, who stopped and looked away awkwardly. Arthur glared at him with his green eyes. He refused to break the silence.

"Are we-uhm…" Alfred started. Arthur narrowed his gaze. "Are we stopping for the night?"

"Yes." the shorter boy replied. Alfred let out a sigh. His arms looked worse now. The blood was dried, a dark, sickly crust that stretched up and down his limbs. Arthur stared without meaning to.

"I'm going to go down to the river…I need to clean my arms out. I don't want an infection."

"I'll come with you." Arthur offered. Alfred hesitated for a moment but shrugged and led the way down a slight hill to a small river that ran across the edge of the path. Alfred pulled at the bottom of his tunic and ripped off a strip of fabric from the bottom. He dipped the strip in the water and started to dab at the blood, flinching slightly. Alfred was never great with wounds. He had clumsy hands and didn't know how much pressure to apply without hurting himself further.

"Alfred, at this point, it would be a lot easier to just jump into the water." Arthur huffed. Alfred stared at him causing Arthur to roll his eyes. "There's too much blood. By the time you actually clean yourself up, it'll be too dark to do anything." Alfred seemed to think it over and shrugged.

"Fine." he untied his boots, sliding them off and tossing them to the side. His bag, which held Betsy the dragon egg, was gingerly placed next to them after he checked to make sure the egg was unharmed. He undid his belt that held his weapons and set it next to his boots. He peeled his shirt off, exposing his chest and stomach, which made his arms look even worse as his torso was untouched by ash and blood. Arthur looked at his own arms darkened with dirt and grime, suddenly aware of how dirty he actually felt. Alfred's shirt joined the pile and he quickly slid out of his pants, leaving just one tiny little piece of fabric covering him. His thumbs slid over his hips and under the top part of his underwear before he stopped. Alfred's legs were unscathed as well, except for one scratch across his left thigh. Arthur hadn't noticed before. He wondered if Alfred needed his pants patched up. Arthur's eyes slid up and down Alfred's strong body for the first time in a while, even though this was the second time Alfred had stripped down for the day. "…thur! Arthur! Are you even listening to me?" Oh-Alfred was talking to him.

"What? Yes I'm listening!" Arthur snapped, his face blooming bright red.

"Really? Then what did I ask?" Alfred asked. Arthur stayed silent, trying to keep his red face from view. "Right. I asked if you were going to clean up too. You're about twenty shades darker and it looks weird. Funny, I admit, but weird." Alfred decided against taking off the last layer, letting his hands leave his underwear and rest at his, lifting them slightly as he stepped into the clear, running water. Arthur watched him for a few moments before letting out a frustrated growl. He violently ripped off his boots and clothing, throwing them in a pile next to Alfred's before he stomped into the river, splashing. The water really wasn't that deep, Arthur noticed. He walked out into the center where Alfred was and the water only went just shy of his hips. And it was cold. Very cold. He let himself sink down to his nose in water, the water splashing against his warm face. Alfred bent down and started to scrub at his arms, opening one of the gashes without meaning to.

"You're hopeless." Arthur cracked a smile, snatching the piece of fabric from Alfred. "You'd think with how many cuts you've received over the years, you'd _try_ to learn how to take care of it."

"I didn't see a point when you were more than willing to be my nurse." Alfred sneered. Arthur replied by pressing into the sensitive skin between two gashes. Alfred let out a surprised whine. "Okay! I take it back!"

"I thought you might." Arthur continued to run the makeshift rag up and down Alfred's arm carefully, doing his best to clean it without making it bleed too much more. He let his fingers trace down Alfred's muscles. Even for someone who worked in the sun all day, Alfred had relatively soft skin. Arthur felt so un-masculine in comparison to his friend. Where Alfred had defined muscle and sun kissed skin, Arthur had a slender build and pale skin that sunburned easily. If Arthur didn't know any better, he would have thought Alfred could hear his heart pounding. "I think when we see a doctor you'll be patched up in no time. We don't exactly have supplies, but this is the best I can do…" he said to fill the silence. Was the river cooling down? That had to be why it felt colder. It couldn't be that Arthur was heating up. Not at all.

"Yea." Alfred agreed. "We should be there tomorrow. It's not like it's that far anyways." the taller boy leaned backwards slightly, trying to stretch his back. His stomach stretched with him and his arms flexed before he relaxed again.

"I guess so. Turn so I can do the other arm." Alfred obeyed and spun around, looking at his cleaned arm. "If I missed anywhere, I'm sure when you start splashing around, it'll be fine."

"Of course."

"How's your eye?" Arthur asked, not looking up from Alfred's arm. He didn't reply. Arthur continued to clean his arm, which wasn't as bad as his other one luckily. The skin was still red and raw, but at least he was no longer in danger of a bad infection. Alfred's hand immediately locked onto Arthur's right elbow. "What on earth are you doing?" his voice was a few octaves higher from surprise. Alfred raised an amused eyebrow, earning a glare from Arthur.

"You're over there worrying about me when you have a worse injury than me?" Alfred said. Arthur looked down. His arm was slightly red in a small area right below his shoulder where a few slivers of bone white porcelain poked out. He hadn't noticed before, but a sudden wave of pain shot into the area. It must have happened when Alfred pushed him out of the way from the ceiling that almost collapsed on the two of them. Broken figurines were lying everywhere on the floor. It wouldn't be a surprise if he landed on one. There wasn't much blood, but Arthur really wanted to know how he didn't feel it this whole time.

"I didn't even notice that." Arthur admitted. Alfred snorted.

"How could you not notice that? You have half a doll sticking out of your arm!" Alfred was exaggerating, but Arthur knitted his eyebrows.

"It doesn't hurt. And it's not like the pieces are really big." Arthur huffed. He guessed it was only a few millimeters in his skin, not even touching his muscles or tendons. "And you're one to talk Mr. I'm-temporarily-blind-in-one-eye." Alfred didn't look convinced. Arthur frowned.

"At least let me help you get them out." Alfred huffed.

"No offence, Al," Arthur mock laughed, "but you suck at playing doctor." Alfred glared at him and turned his attention to Arthur's shoulder after muttering a quick "I do not." He pinched at the pieces of glass, struggling to get a grip because he had such big hands, but he was able to get the pieces out slowly but surely. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, and though his left side was turned away, Arthur could see it was still closed. He let his eyes drift down Alfred's face, otherwise unmarked, and to his neck. The cords were sticking out slightly, leading his eyes towards his arm. His muscles were flexing as he continued to pull out glass. Arthur caught himself staring and immediately turned away. He shouldn't have been so fascinated by Alfred. He hadn't been before. It's not like he hadn't seen Alfred with a shirt off before.

"I didn't do so bad, see?" Alfred said with a grin, his fingers lingering on Arthur's shoulder-or was that just Arthur's imagination. He rolled his shoulder enough to get Alfred to pull away.

"You didn't totally destroy my arm, I suppose." the shorter boy began to sink into the water. He wanted nothing more than to sink through the earth.

Alfred locked his hands behind his head, "Of course I didn't." and fell backwards into the clear water. Arthur shook his head, but cupped his hands to capture some water and splashed it on his hot face, more to cool it than clean it. This was so stupid. He really shouldn't feel so embarrassed about any of this. Arthur allowed himself to slowly sink below the surface. At least Alfred didn't notice his face or anything-but then Alfred might have just been pretending not to notice it. Arthur shook his head. No, not even Alfred could play off something like that _that_ well, no matter how hard he tried. He was too dense for that and Arthur knew him better than anyone. Arthur made his way above the water, coming up to catch his breath. Alfred splashed to the surface shortly after, wiping the hair that stuck to his skin off his forehead and backwards. He looked up at the sky. "I think bath time has lasted long enough, don't you? I don't want to set up camp when it's dark out."

"I agree." Arthur climbed out of the water and scrambled towards his clothes, shaking off as much water as he could before he pulled on his clothes. Alfred followed suit and pulled on his own clothing. Arthur kept avoiding his gaze, but he couldn't help getting the feeling that Alfred was watching him, which made him get dressed faster.

"Arthur-are you okay? You're really red-"

"I'm fine!" _Crap_.

"You're sure you're not sick or anything…?'

"I said I'm okay!" _He noticed_… "I mean-it's been a long day considering…everything that's happened. But I'm fine."

"I wonder how much longer until Betsy hatches…" Alfred said absently as he pulled the blue speckled egg from his bag and held it in his hands.

"I thought you would know. It's your dragon."

"It's gonna be soon. I know it."

"You know, dragon eggs take extreme heat to hatch. I read that somewhere. That's why nests are in volcanoes or caves and stuff."

"The ones at the training grounds-"

"Had special heaters for each little compartment. Most institutes do especially large kingdoms with Dragoon knights. It was just in interesting thing to read anyways."

"She'll hatch when I'm ready to be a Dragoon." Alfred stated as if it were fact. He put Betsy safely back into the satchel. "And that day is coming fast."

When camp was finally set up, both Alfred and Arthur were completely exhausted. Because they didn't have any blankets or coats, making a fire was vital when the temperature dropped during the night, but they hadn't eaten all day and their energy was virtually gone by the time they sat down to make the fire. Alfred suggested Arthur try to use Fire on the sticks, but Arthur refused. He had been snapping at Alfred since they got out of the river, and Alfred managed to put up with it, although he was getting bothered after Arthur called him a moron for the millionth time that day. He eventually just gave up and tried to make the fire himself, Arthur sitting on the side hugging his knees to his chest. After a couple tries, Alfred was extremely proud when a fire was produced and he beamed at Arthur, hands on his hips and smile flashing. It faded when he noticed Arthur was on his side sleeping on the ground using his arm as a pillow. At least he wasn't scowling anymore and actually looked peaceful, which was a relief. Though he had to admit Arthur looked funny red-faced all day and it was good to know he wasn't sun-burnt. Alfred felt the calls of sleep pulling at the back of his mind, but ignored them. _Somebody has to keep the fire going._ His stomach let out a low rumble. _And get dinner._

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

I need to be quicker with my updates…sorry about that. Foofie is getting me in gear. orz||| Next chapter should be up faster than this one.


	3. Chapter 2

Catch the Falling Sky  
><em>Chapter 2<em>

* * *

><p>Arthur woke up without opening his eyes. <em>It must still be dark,<em> he thought since the backs of his eyelids remained black. The sound of crackling sounded behind him and the smell of smoke and nature filled Arthur's nose forced him to open his eyes and roll over. There was a small campfire, crackling faintly and happily away. Most of the sticks sustaining the fire had been burnt into blackened shapes, glowing orange underneath the ashen exterior as if to show they were still as hot as everything else, though no longer aflame. Alfred must have set the fire up after Arthur fell asleep. He groaned. He _had_ fallen asleep, hadn't he? Arthur forced himself into a sitting position, rubbing at his green eyes and shoulders, glancing around the area. Light from the fire danced across the ground and lit up his surroundings a few feet until it hit the trees where the light faded, unable to cut through the darkness offered by the wood. His foot hit something as he turned; it was only his and Alfred's bags. Arthur crinkled his nose in discomfort; his joints were stiff and sore from lying on the ground.

The sound of footsteps dragging through dry leaves cut through the still air causing Arthur's heart to speed up, his mind asking a million questions at once. Was there somebody else in the woods with him? Where was Alfred? How far could he run when he was still half asleep and had aches and pains all over? Could it be goblins again? Thoughts tumbled through his head like an angry stampede of elephants. His mind was both racing and completely blank at once, making him dizzy. On impulse, Arthur dove for Alfred's bag, praying that he put something inside that Arthur could use. Anything would do really, even if it was just a stick. (Arthur didn't quite understand why Alfred would keep a stick in his bag when they were in the woods that held hundreds upon thousands of sticks, but he could blame his thought process on panic.) His hands brushed something cold and metallic; Arthur clutched it and pulled it out. _Thank God_. A wave of relief washed over the boy. So Alfred made sure to put a knife in his bag, or put it in there without meaning to! Either way it was there, in Arthur's hand, ready to be used as necessary. The boy brandished the weapon, pointing it in the direction of the noise. It was louder now, just about to appear. Any moment now! And there it was! It tumbled out of the trees awkwardly and brushed itself off before standing at its full height.

"What on earth are you doing, Arthur?" It was Alfred. Arthur's arm fell limp to his side, his expression that of exasperation. The blue eyed blond took no notice and shrugged, stepping around Arthur and towards the fire. He carried a variety of sticks and branches in his arms, no doubt for the dying fire that lit up their sorry campsite, and dropped them unceremoniously to the ground before allowing himself to fall as well. Alfred beamed at the half-asleep Arthur before throwing a few sticks into the fire, feeding it and sending tiny sparks floating up and into the sky like fireflies. Being so close to the flames made Alfred's features stand out with a red-orange tint. His blond hair, which had been cleaned less than a day ago, was dirtied, a few leaves sticking out. His face was smudged with dirt and large, dark circles had taken residence under his baby blue eyes-one of which were still closed. Did Alfred just decide to roll around in the forest for a while? Arthur scowled. Not only was his friend being stupid by gallivanting through the trees in the dark, he had stayed up all night to do so. Alfred seemed to feel the staring and turned his head. "What?"

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Arthur grumbled.

"Huh?" the taller blond paused, arching an eyebrow at his companion. Arthur glared at him.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Arthur repeated slowly, annunciating each word carefully. It took a few moments before Alfred replied.

"I didn't think you should be bothered. Losing one night's sleep isn't that bad and after…everything that happened yesterday, I didn't think I should force you up or anything like that." Alfred continued to feed the fire, adding sticks and branches in a pattern to keep it controlled. He let out a sigh and fell backwards, letting his arms support him as he relaxed. Even in the dark Arthur could tell how tense he was.

"You had the same day I did." but Arthur understood why Alfred had put himself through a long night of setting up a fire and other things to get them through the night. Alfred was a very physical person that relaxed though manual labor and doing things with his hands; no matter how un-relaxing that sounded. Alfred didn't respond, but Arthur didn't really care. He was still half asleep and constantly dozed off as he stared at the fire in silence. Arthur hugged his legs closer to his chest as he caught himself before he fell asleep again. The soft sound of Alfred's snoring was starting to pull Arthur into complete consciousness. Alfred must have fallen asleep on accident, his hand still clutching one of his sticks causing Arthur to twitch his mouth into a halfhearted smile. If Alfred was going to sleep, Arthur would have to stay awake even though the first rays of sunshine began to light up the sky, warding off animals, bugs, and even cold temperatures. Alfred's eyebrows knitted together as he resituated himself in his sleep so that he was on his side, using his arm as a pillow. His stomach let out a low growl and his face relaxed again. "I suppose you'll be wanting breakfast then?" the green eyed boy asked his sleeping friend. Although he couldn't reply, Arthur took the smile that tugged at Alfred's face as a yes.

It took a while, possibly forty-five minutes or so, before Arthur was able to find something edible, but he was happy he could find something to put in their stomachs. It would be another couple of hours before they reached the next town over and the least they could have was a couple of fruits and berries he was able to identify as safe to eat. Alfred would probably whine about it though. He was never the type of person that liked to eat fruits or vegetables on a regular basis, no matter how much he was told to eat them. Oh well. Arthur would force Alfred to eat them one way or another, or he could starve. Either way worked. Arthur himself wasn't exactly fond of eating black berries by themselves, but it would be okay for the time being. They could buy a nice hot meal when they got to town, which would hopefully be before dinnertime.

Of course that would be if Alfred ever woke up. He was still fast asleep when Arthur came back, which was understandable since he'd been awake for nearly 24 hours straight. The fire had died down to almost a flicker, not that Arthur cared since the sun was almost completely up anyways. So Arthur waited. As polite as it was to wait for his friend to wake up, Arthur had to admit it was more than boring. He entertained himself by playing with his spells, freezing leaves on the ground and burning sticks, but that only lasted so long. He could always read the only spell book he had now, but he'd practically had it memorized to the final page. Arthur sighed. At least when he was asleep, Alfred actually had something to do. The green eyed blond stared at the blackened pile of ashes where the fire had burned. He could always practice Fire. It would be helpful later on, especially in a fight. Arthur tensed. He had frozen up when they were ambushed, and Alfred wasn't too happy about it. As if he hadn't been protective enough in the first place.

"A load of good that's doing you, idiot." Arthur huffed. He wouldn't be as bothered if Alfred hadn't hurt himself while trying to keep Arthur from getting hurt himself. But no. Alfred had to be an idiot like that, and although his arms were no longer red, they were now turning the sickly purplish-blue color of bruises. They must have been really painful.

As Arthur continued to stare at his friend (which he would deny. It wasn't staring, just happened to be a really long glance), he unconsciously made his way closer to Alfred, not really meaning to but still doing it anyways. Even though every fiber of his being, every thought told him to sit back and wait for Alfred to wake up. He already knew he wasn't getting closer to wake him up. The only thing that could wake Alfred up was the promise of a meal, and even then it would have to be something other than the measly things Arthur had found in the woods. Arthur shook his head violently. He could probably wake Alfred up with a quick chill from Blizzard after all. Alfred didn't like extreme temperatures, but then a sudden drop in temperature would be enough to wake anybody up. Arthur was inching closer and closer now, only a few feet away while Alfred stayed in his deep sleep, a slight smile tugging at his mouth the way it always had. It was kind of endearing in a way, Arthur concluded. Alfred had only smiled like this when he was asleep and having a good dream-no doubt about dragons or some other crazy fantasy he wanted to live. Not that Arthur had seen Alfred asleep that many times. _Two feet away_. They had been roommates anyways. And Alfred loved to sleep. It was only logical Arthur had seen him asleep a few times to know he smiled like that a few times. _One and a half._ It wasn't like he did it on purpose. It was only on occasion. Alfred had been awake before Arthur a lot of the time for training anyways. _One foot_. And then Arthur stopped. Being this close, Arthur could see just how bad Alfred's injuries were. The bruises looked horrible up close. They'd have to get to a doctor before anything else when they reached the town, Ur; Arthur felt he might not have done that great a job actually cleaning Alfred up and didn't want Alfred to suffer through any major infections. Medics could only do so much after all, especially ones in rural areas where information and training were limited.

Arthur reached out a hand and touched one of the bruises carefully, tracing one of the nearby cuts with his finger. He wondered just how badly they hurt. A quick jolt of pain coursed through his upper arm, reminding him that he had his own injury. He had forgotten about that one. The shock must have worn off and was now letting Arthur deal with pain all by himself. How nice.

"Your hands are cold, y'know." _Crap_. Arthur wheeled backwards, face as red as a tomato, heart stopping momentarily before beating faster than he thought possible. Alfred didn't seem to care and began to stretch out, pulling his arms above his head and arching his back off the ground for a few seconds before flopping gracelessly onto the ground again. Arthur still hadn't completely recovered and was staring at Alfred as though he had sprouted an extra head. "Wha-"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" Arthur yelled, cutting off Alfred, who looked completely amused by the fact that Arthur was quite possibly on the verge of literally exploding at any moment. The heat continued to rise in his face and up further to his ears. _Distraction. I need a distraction._ He fiddled with their bags nervously for a few moments, making sure all straps were buckled and nothing would fall out. "Will you quit staring at me?" Arthur hollered anxiously without turning around.

"I'm not." Alfred snickered. "Not that I need to stare at you to know you're all red."

"I am not!"

"Yes you are." Alfred yawned. "Even the back of your neck is red." Arthur's hands flew to the back of his head, covering his exposed skin. He wanted to hurl the leather bag he had been messing with at him, but decided Alfred would never forgive him if his dragon egg cracked. Thankfully he didn't say anything else on the subject and Arthur's face returned mostly to normal. "Arthur, what the hell are these?" Arthur turned. Alfred had found the small pile of berries Arthur had left for him with a very confused look on his face.

"They're called berries, Alfred. They're all the rage, you know-" Arthur began. Alfred glared at him

"I know what they are. I'm not stupid."

"It's breakfast. It's the only thing I could get considering our circumstances."

"There is no way I'm eating _those_ for breakfast. They aren't even sweet by themselves."

"Then starve. Don't start whining when you get hungry."

"Yeah, yeah." Alfred sighed, stepping in front of him and grabbing his bag, slinging it over his shoulder with a smile. "I'm ready to go when you are."

Arthur scrambled to his feet and snatched up his own bag. "I've been waiting for you to wake up, so let's get going."

"How sweet." The taller boy locked his hands together and stretched again. His eye drooped slightly with his tiredness, but other than that he seemed fine.

"You seem to be in a good mood for someone who only slept for maybe four hours. Without breakfast I might add."

"I'm always in a good mood, unlike you." he pulled his arms behind his head, keeping his hands locked behind his head. Arthur only hummed in reply. There was no arguing that he came off as a rather pessimistic and angry person. Like it seriously mattered. If people wanted to think he was unapproachable, fine by him. He didn't want to bother with people that thought like that. Of course Arthur's mood would probably be greatly improved if a certain person would quit humming a very off key version of some random tune he had heard somewhere.

The walk to town could never take longer.

It was about dinnertime when the two boys had made it to Ur, which was great because Alfred refused to eat anything Arthur had found, saying it wouldn't even begin satisfy him no matter how much he ate.

"Alfred, just eat it. It's good for you anyways." Arthur lectured, but he was ignored. "All you ever want to eat is meat. And you wonder why you gain weight so quickly. All that protein is making you fat."

"I don't care how good it is for me, I don't like the taste of them by themselves. Bake it into a pie and I'll gladly eat it." Alfred hesitated, "Actually, you shouldn't bake it. Give it to someone else and let _them_ bake it. Then I'll eat them. And I'm not fat."

"What is that supposed to mean? The part about my cooking because you are definitely putting on a few pounds." Arthur huffed, crossing his arms.

"It means you aren't a good cook. And if I'm putting on weight, it's muscle. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday morning and we've been walking since then." They were passing by buildings now, much nicer buildings than their hometown. The construction wasn't all that fabulous, not like in major cities, but it was strong and sturdy and looked as if it had recently been built. Arthur guessed they were refurbishing older buildings to make the place nicer for newer business. Every town wanted to become a big, well-known city after all, and in order to do that, the city had to look…pretty.

"You just don't have any taste." the shorter boy mumbled, causing the taller of the two to snicker at him which earned a glare in return. "I have half a mind to punch you in the face right now."

"But I'm injured, Arty!" Alfred jeered, pulling a hand to his face. Arthur rolled his eyes. They passed by a pottery stall, where a very large man was cleaning urns and vases. He sent the two boys a smile, but didn't bother to try to sell them anything thankfully.

"I'll hit you with my hurt arm then."

"And after I saved your life too. That's the thanks I get?"

"It is."

"You're so mean!" Alfred laughed. "But then your punches don't hurt so I think I could live with it."

"You're seriously starting to push your lu-"

"Are we going to a doctor first?"

"Hmm? Uh-I don't see why not. I'd actually prefer it that way actually." It was better to get to a doctor and risk only having the doctor ask what happened. Arthur didn't want a million strangers asking why two strange outsiders came into town looking like…well looking as they did. They'd probably be branded as trouble makers. Not that Arthur planned on staying here long. Just a few days depending on how well the job market was. "Where is a doctor anyways?"

"I don't know. I only knew about the nurse at the orphanage." And so did Arthur. They had never actually seen a real doctor's office before now that he thought about it. The few times either of them actually needed a doctor, one would come to them since they couldn't exactly move because of their ailments, such as pulled back muscles or a really bad fever. This left them at a bit of a disadvantage. "Maybe we should just ask somebody for directions. My arms are killing me too much to try to find it on my own." Arthur nodded in agreement and they quickly marched towards a crowd of people. It took a few tries, but they were finally able to get some comprehensible directions and were on their way to the "best doctor in town" as the woman who gave them the directions put it. Arthur didn't understand why she was so red faced and dreamy looking while she said it, but he didn't question it. Alfred was being unusually chatty as they passed by random townspeople. "I'm thinking when he asks me how I did it, I'll tell him how I heroically saved your life and you plan on thanking me by punching me in my face."

"You saved my life by getting half of a porcelain figure in my arm, idiot."

"Better than being dead." A blond woman with a canvas bag and a pretty red dress passed by, giving Alfred a seductive smile with her big, red-painted lips, which he returned with his own goofy grin. He continued to stare at her as they passed each other, the woman turning her head as if she hadn't noticed Alfred at all. Arthur rolled his eyes as Alfred turned to walk backwards to continue staring at the woman until they turned the corner. He let out a sigh.

"Don't tell me you've gone and fallen in love." Arthur joked, though his tone was serious.

"Did you not see h-"

"I saw, Alfred." Arthur cut him off, not really wanting to hear about how gorgeous Alfred thought the women were. There were more women who kept sending looks and smiles towards the boys, which Alfred was more than eager to return. Arthur just got more annoyed.

"Y'know, if you pay attention, some of them are waving at you too~" Alfred said in a singsong voice.

"I don't really care." Arthur was getting annoyed with his friend. It was one thing to be nice and return a friendly greeting, but Alfred wouldn't stop staring. "You look as if you've never seen a pretty girl before." A brunette was walking past them, her hair up in a loose bun so that a few strands framed her face. Her face wasn't heavily make-uped like a lot of the women they had been passing and she actually had a pretty nice face. She didn't say anything while she passed by, but even Arthur found himself staring at the girl. She looked so out of place and ordinary compared to everyone else around.

_CRASH!_

Arthur found himself on the dusty ground staring at a pair of heeled, ankle-high, brown leather boots underneath the trim of a red dress, fruits and wrapped items littering the ground around him. Arthur's eyes travelled up. The dress was actually multicolored, with patterned layers of red, white, and green, the skirt ending (or actually beginning) in a green material before reaching a red cincher and white top with puffy sleeves. Inside the dress was a well tanned, well built woman with long, wavy brown hair and emerald eyes. Arthur quickly scrambled into a kneeling position and began to pick up all of the items, saying quick apologies as he did so. His arms were full of most of the things before he got to his feet hurriedly. "I'm really sorry. I wasn't paying attention while I was walking at all." The woman started to laugh, taking the items from Arthur's arms and putting them into a basket.

"It's fine. Really." she smiled and held the basket on her hip. "I've heard of men throwing themselves at women around here, but I didn't think it literally happened."

"Right. Sorry about that." Arthur said absently. It was oddly quiet. Arthur turned to see Alfred was nowhere around him. The idiot must have been too absorbed in getting noticed by beautiful girls to notice Arthur had tripped. He smacked his forehead, earning a smile from the girl he had run into…or something. Arthur wasn't sure what happened. "You haven't seen a tall blond guy around pass you by any chance? Slightly taller than me, dark blond hair, really stupid looking have you? He's my idiot friend and I think I've just lost him."

"The one you were walking next to before you fell? He kept going straight, I think." Her accent sounded odd. Must've been the city. There were lots of people from distant places after all. Arthur made his way around the girl and started quickly down the street.

"Thanks! And sorry again!" Arthur called over his shoulder before speeding up. It wasn't very difficult to find Alfred again as he wasn't walking very fast. Arthur sped up, pushing past people. He wanted to strangle him. He instead settled for catching up and slapping the back of Alfred's head with every bit of strength he had. He smirked when Alfred hunched forward and let out a surprised yelp. "I swear to God if you don't pay attention more, I'm not going to let you eat anything when we get to a tavern."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Alfred whined, rubbing the back of his head.

"I tripped and almost lost you, moron! But no. Go ahead and pay attention to all the women that cross your path." Arthur growled out. Alfred just smiled and pat Arthur's head.

"If you wanted me to pay more attention to you, you should have said so!"

"I don't want you to pay attention to me. I want you to pay attention period."

"Uh-huh. Suuure."

"I think we're here." Arthur said with a jerk of his head in the direction of one of the doors along the wall. The sign above the door was elaborate, painted with silver colored, cursive letters and a fancy border. All it said was "Doctor," but it looked more like a…well Arthur didn't know, but it did not look like the sign for a doctor's office. Perhaps it would look more the part on the inside.

The first thing that hit Arthur was the smell of the place. It smelled heavily of perfumes and flowers and not at all like a place where sick and injured people came to be healed. The room was tiny and stiflingly hot and pink. It made Arthur dizzy. He hoped this wasn't where they'd be getting treated as it only made him feel sick. _How the hell is _this_ the best doctor in the city?_ A few paintings hung on the light pink walls, mainly over the squishy looking couches that sat against two of the walls. All of the paintings were of roses. Roses were in vases around the room. Roses were everywhere. Arthur crinkled his nose in disgust. "I don't think this is the right place…" Arthur mumbled. Alfred shrugged.

"I dunno. Maybe there's a back room?" he suggested. Arthur responded with an annoyed sigh.

"I would hope so, but how would he even know we're here anyways? It doesn't look like anybody's home. We can just find a different doctor. I doubt this is the only one around."

"We're already here, Arthur. I don't wanna keep walking around."

"It's not like the city is _that_ big, Al!"

"I don't wanna! The lady said he was the best here."

"You're only saying that because there's a brothel across the street!" Arthur hissed making Alfred turn red with embarrassment.

"I am not!"

"This place even looks like one. Are you hoping for a girl doctor or something?"

"No!"

"Really now? Because that's certainly what it seems like to me."

"Shut up!"

"No! You're not even denying it!"

"_Shut up!_" Alfred almost yelled. With the argument Alfred and Arthur were getting into, neither of the two noticed the door on the opposite side of the room open. Neither of them noticed the blond, bearded man that stepped out. Neither of them noticed him standing there until he cleared his throat…multiple times.

"_Bonjour._" the man greeted with a small wave. All of the color drained from Arthur's face. The man probably would have looked nice if it wasn't for the fact he was completely naked. What was even more disturbing was the amount of hair that covered him. Arthur was rooted to the spot, completely speechless, his hands fisted into Alfred's top. Alfred mirrored him, though he got over the shock faster and began to laugh. Well it's good to know _somebody_ found this funny because Arthur certainly did not.

"You do realize, _mon ami_, that most people wouldn't be willing to help you if the first thing you do is punch them in the face, _oui?_" the doctor said as he tended to Alfred's arms. Arthur sat on one of the chairs, his arms crossed as he glared at the wall. They were in the back room where it looked a lot more like a doctor's area. Books about human anatomy and revitalizing herbs and potions littered the tables. It didn't stink too heavily of flowery perfumes and luckily Dr. Bonnefoy had made the workspace tolerable for patients.

"It isn't my fault you came out completely naked." Arthur grumbled. His hand was starting to bruise, but Arthur wasn't going to give the doctor the pleasure of knowing he had hurt himself as well. Swallowing down the pain was much easier.

"This feels really weird." Alfred interjected. He was ignored.

"To be fair, I thought my appointment was coming in. It's too bad she cancelled."

"What kind of patient wants to see you naked? Obviously not a sick one." Arthur paused. "I take that back. She must be sick in the head if she wants you."

"Do you want all the glass out of your arm or not?"

"I would, but I don't exactly know if you're qualified since sex seems to be your way of healing people-which is a load of absolute bullocks."

"Last time I checked I wasn't having sex with your pretty little friend over here, _merci, mon ami_."

"You guys can just leave me out of this." Alfred piped up, trying his best to not move while the doctor worked on him. "And shouldn't you be paying more attention to my injuries instead of fighting with my friend, Dr. Bonne-"

"Francis, if you don't mind. And I could do this in my sleep." Francis said, still sending a glare towards Arthur. Alfred shifted uncomfortably. "Not that I will." he added hastily. It was true Alfred's arms were looking a lot better. The cuts were almost completely closed up and the nasty looking bruises were just about gone, leaving nothing but tanned, unmarked flesh. Francis continued to work at them for a few more minutes until he was completely finished. He smirked triumphantly. Arthur rolled his eyes, but Alfred just looked relieved. "There. Good as new. The only thing that I don't think I can fix completely is that eye of yours."

Alfred tensed up. "You're going to be able to though? Get it close at least?"

"Well of course I can. That isn't the problem. Eyes tend to be a little difficult to fix because they have so much in them, and it looks like you scratched it pretty good there." Francis explained. "Don't worry. You'll still be as pretty as before all this, I promise."

"You should fix Arthur first. My eye can wait a little bit." Alfred offered, hopping off the table. Francis shrugged. Arthur moved his glare to Alfred, who looked away sheepishly. The shorter blond stormed over to the table and hopped on. Francis gave him a grin.

"Just hurry up and get it over with." he groaned.

"I think that was the first time I've ever heard that."

"Because I _want_ to hear about your sex life." he said, his voice dripping in sarcasm.

"It's a lot more eventful than yours, _mon ami_." Arthur's face went bright red.

"That is not-"

"It is true. I'm a veteran of love you see. And do you honestly think it's that hard to spot a virgin like yourself when I see one?" Francis smirked. "My sex life is more eventful than both of yours combined. Which still adds up to zero by the way." Arthur wondered if it would be worth it to punch this guy in his bearded face again.

"Hey!" Alfred whined. He seemed to decide the better of it and sank back into his chair, his face also blooming a bright red. Francis began to work at Arthur's arm, pulling out the tiny slivers of glass Alfred had missed. Alfred began to mumble something, too low for either of them to hear him.

"I can understand why nobody would want to sleep with _you_," Francis nodded towards Arthur, "as your attitude is less than desirable…among other things." His blue eyes flickered to Arthur's forehead. Arthur glared at him, "But _you_ on the other hand, I can't see why you're even single." Alfred had started to play with some of the things on the table and knocked over one of the tiny racks of glass tubes, which luckily all had stoppers on them so nothing spilled out. Francis sighed, "Besides your obvious lack of charm."

"I have plenty of charm."

"Ouch! Will you pay attention to what you're doing?" Arthur cried. Francis pulled out a rather sizable sliver of glass and dropped it into the trashcan with the others.

"Don't be such a baby. That was the last piece. Now hold still." It really did feel weird when Francis started to work his magic. Like a million tiny needles all at once, but also like just that part of his skin was submerged in cold water. Arthur didn't like it at all. He was extremely happy that he picked learning spells like Blizzard and Fire instead of Cure, no matter how nice it would be to have that power.

"So where are you two staying for the night?" Both Alfred and Arthur exchanged a look. "I take it you two have no idea where you are going. I do have a recommendation, if I may. There's a nice little tavern not far from here. I think you'd like it."

"I don't see why not." Alfred shrugged.

"Don't tell me it's crawling with prostitutes."

"It isn't. And you're all fixed up. Now why don't we see what I can do about that eye of yours?" Alfred knocked over more things he was playing with. "Oh don't give me that look. I assure you your eye will be just fine. You'll be able to blink and everything."

"You're absolutely sure you won't mess anything up?"

"You've caught me. I planned on using my magic to brainwash you into falling for me so I can harvest your virginity for my own perverted fantasies." Alfred's eyes grew wider. "It was a joke, _mon ami_." Alfred laughed nervously but hopped onto the table again. "But then again."

"I really don't like these things at all." Alfred groaned, messing with the frames on his face. Francis had done the best he could for Alfred's eye, but he hadn't been able to get them back to a hundred percent as he expected. "Don't old people wear these because they can't see?" He wasn't at all happy about having to wear glasses. Not happy at all.

"You _can't_ see, Alfred." Arthur sighed. He honestly didn't know what he was whining for. Arthur personally thought they made him at least _look_ more mature. "And they aren't that bad, really. It's better than not being able to see at all, isn't it?"

"I guess so…"

"I feel like I should be offended by that." Francis hummed as he locked the door. He had offered to take them to the tavern as there were lots of shady individuals around out night and it would be best to have someone accompany them. "But I could always take them back if you hate them so much. Though I don't give refunds so you'd be better off with them. And plus, they're custom made to give you back your perfect vision. You should be thanking me."

"I would think that the bill was thank you enough." Arthur mumbled under his breath.

"He charged us enough." Alfred agreed.

"I'm not cheap. The best usually aren't." Francis seemed to take that as a great ego boost instead of the intended insult if the spring in his step was any hint to that. Everything he did was so _annoying_. Jeez. "Either way, I'm sure you two will be comfortable in this tavern. The cook makes a very nice stew." the doctor continued to talk. _He must love to hear his own voice._ Arthur thought with bitter humor. It really was his only explanation since neither of the two younger boys were paying attention to him as he rambled on and on about how great this tavern was. Alfred continued to mess with his new glasses, adjusting them as they slipped down the bridge of his nose. His scowling looked quite goofy if Arthur had anything to say about it. In fact, everything about him had seemed goofy since they got to Ur. He'd always been a bit silly, but it must just be magnified being around so many people. They hadn't exactly associated with too many people and being with a new set must have just brought out how awkward both of them were. Yea. That had to be it. Though Arthur wasn't smiling like a moron. "And here we are, _mes amis!_ The very well respected Glad Goblin Inn."

The inn itself was actually pretty nice. Everything was a very nice, dark wood from the floors to the furniture and even some of the decoration. The warm, inviting scent of actual food tickled Arthur's nose and made his stomach growl with impatience and need. He hadn't realized how hungry he was. A fire roared in the fireplace on the back wall, a large cauldron over it probably holding a stew or soup. In the back corner was a handsome spiral staircase that led up to the rooms of the inn. There was even a bar, the wall behind being completely stocked with what looked like a hundred or more bottles of beer and alcohol. Two very large barrels sit near the bar, taps sticking out for people to help themselves to more drinks. There were lots of people as well, sitting at tables, bars, and even walking around and talking, having a great time. It looked extremely crowded.

"Are you sure there are available rooms…?" Arthur asked.

"I am positive. I'm sure you two will be better off sharing a room though. This place can be a little pricey, but it's the best place in town. And you're with me. I happen to be very close to the owner. I might be able to get you a discount." Francis laughed. _Yea, because you didn't suck enough money out of us already…_Arthur wanted to say, but bit his tongue. They had to save all the money they could and although they still had quite a bit, Arthur didn't want to run too low. They had to buy supplies after all. "We'll just have to wait for a few minutes to ask. They are very busy people after all."

"I couldn't tell." Arthur said.

"That sarcasm isn't going to get you anywhere. Let's just go find a table. I know there's bound to be one somewhere." Francis led them through the throng of people in search of a table. Everybody seemed intent on getting between him and the bearded blond, but Arthur maneuvered around the patrons easily, Alfred at his heels. They were able to get a table by the right hand wall, not too close to the lively drunkards near the fireplace and bar, but not completely alienated either. Arthur took the chair closest to the wall, Alfred taking the one next to him and Francis took the one opposite to them. It bothered Arthur that Francis had just invited himself along, but he said nothing. He and Alfred were starting to get into a heated discussion about his new glasses, and Arthur didn't feel like taking part in it. He'd rather be eating something right now. Something that would definitely fill him up. His eyes wandered around the tavern. There were lots of monster heads hanging from the walls with other hunting trophies and decorations. They creeped Arthur out a little bit, but he didn't really mind them; they kind of added to the mood of the bar. There were some women at a table near them. They were all pretty like Arthur and Alfred had seen on their walk through the streets, though these ones were more absorbed in their own conversation than flirting with random strangers. Francis was now trying to convince Alfred that women liked glasses. It gave him the air of being more dignified and smarter. Alfred argued that he wasn't smart unless it came to fighting or manual labor. Arthur still didn't care so he studied the inn more, more specifically the bar. He wondered exactly how many different kinds of alcohols were stored on the shelves. He'd only had drinks a few times before and found that he didn't have a very high tolerance for the stuff, unlike Alfred, but that didn't stop him from wanting some anyways. A woman had appeared next to their table. She must have been the barmaid or something, here to offer them an expensive drink and food. Arthur glanced at her briefly, as she pushed her long, wavy brown hair behind her ear. That seemed slightly familiar. She smiled at him and then Arthur realized who it was.

"You're the girl from earlier!" he exclaimed, nearly tipping his chair backwards. Francis arched an eyebrow at Arthur and smiled. Alfred just looked confused.

"Hmm? Oh! You're the guy that was looking for his idiot friend after running into me!" she laughed. Alfred glared at Arthur as if to say "How _dare_ you call me an idiot to a random stranger!" Arthur offered him a quick apology, but Alfred continued to pout.

"I didn't know you were already acquainted with Elizabeta, Arthur."

"I'm not. I mean, I ran into her earlier and she dropped her stuff. But we don't actually know each other."

"Yep. Anything I can get you?"

"Just the usual." Francis said with a flick of the wrist. Arthur rolled his eyes. Was there anything this guy didn't do that didn't annoy every fiber of his being?

"I'd like a bowl of that stew if you don't mind." Alfred said.

"I'll take the same. Can I get one of the drinks from the bar as well?" Arthur asked. Elizabeta nodded and took off to fetch their orders. Alfred and Francis started to talk about women, about what they liked in a girl (Francis said something witty about how he liked to see himself in a girl which made Alfred laugh and Arthur roll his eyes) and everything else that concerned women. Again Arthur didn't take part, but he listened until their food came. He immediately began to dig in, Alfred doing the same. After a few bites, Arthur went to work on the frothy drink in front of him. It made his eyes water at first, but he ignored that feeling and continued to drink. He didn't want to drink a lot, just enough. Francis was now telling Alfred how to pick up women.

"It's quite easy. It's all about confidence! I can guarantee that it'll work." Francis was saying. _Rather full of himself, wasn't he?_

"I have confidence. Just not in girls."

"That's why you have to act like you do! Even if you don't feel it, you have to show it!" Francis reached across the table for Arthur's drink, which had only been sipped at. Arthur tried to protest, but his mouth was full of stew and he couldn't do much but flail his arms uselessly before crossing them to pout. "Drink this and go get one of those women over there!" he pointed to the table of women Arthur had noticed earlier. Two of the girls were now talking with some men, leaving the final one to fend for herself. They hadn't left her out quite yet as they were all still talking and laughing, but it was painfully obvious that the two women and their new companions would be leaving sometime soon. "Use that smile of yours. God knows it's pretty enough to get a girl." Arthur finished his stew and continued to pout as Alfred chugged down the drink. Well. Arthur wasn't going to have any of that. Even though he felt completely stuffed, he reached over and grabbed Alfred's half eaten bowl and replaced it with his own empty one. Francis laughed, but Alfred didn't seem to notice until he went to take a bite. He didn't seem to really care; even though he'd been complaining about how hungry he was all day. The girl at the table seemed to have noticed Alfred and they both began to flirt from afar, starting with waving and then the girl trying to convince Alfred to join her with the bob of her head. Arthur stared at her, unimpressed, but Alfred looked into it. _Well damn._ It seemed Alfred was easily won over by a pretty face and a couple of smiles. He'd gotten attention back at home, but not like this. He must be feeling pretty proud of himself at the moment.

"Well then," Alfred got to his feet hastily, ramming his thigh into the edge of the wooden table harshly-_serves him right, the little bugger_-"We all have to lose our virginity one day. I'm okay with today." Arthur choked on his stew and Alfred left to talk to the girl. Already Arthur felt a stab of anger.

"And then there's the matter of _vie amoureuse M. Kirkland, oui?_" Francis stated smugly. Arthur narrowed his eyes.

"A load of help you're being. And although I have no idea what you said-or how you knew my last name-I'm assuming it's about getting me a date as well."

"More or less. Though you might need to hire your love. I don't think they could get past your eyebrows."

"You, Dr. Bonnefoy, can piss off. After you buy me a drink. Since you gave mine away." Arthur said through gritted teeth."

"Nope. It's definitely that attitude of yours that people can't get past. You're just mad because I was able to help your friend~"

"I am not. You've barely known him for three hours and now you're telling him to sleep with the first girl who makes a pass at him. How you got him to believe you, I don't know. He never worried about that kind of thing before. You're just a horrible influence on the innocent."

"It's one thing for him, but aren't you older? It's just plain sad for you. y'know."

"I'm barely a year older than him, thank you very much."

"Well you have the attitude of an old lady when it comes to this. It's normal for men to do this kind of thing."

"It's normal for men, not Alfred, you moron."

"Alfred's a man, _mon ami_."

"I know that! He isn't like men like you!"

"And what kind of man am I?"

"A lecher!"

"I see you two are getting along just fine." a female voice interjected. It took a moment for Arthur to realize that he and Francis were both standing, leaning across the table with their hands balled into fists, their faces inches apart as they tried to stare each other down. They both sat back down simultaneously and smiled at Elizabeta. "Would you like me to bring you another drink?" Arthur nodded. When she walked away, Arthur and Francis immediately began to glare at each other again.

"I hate you."

"_Le sentiment est mutuel."_ Francis replied with a smirk. Elizabeta returned with drinks for both Francis and Arthur, telling them she'd start up a tab for them since she doubted either of them would remember how many they'd have by the end of the night.

"And are there any rooms available?" Arthur asked before she got the chance to leave.

"I believe so. I'll tell Gilbert to reserve a room for you…and your friend?"

"Perhaps. It depends on how tonight plays out."

"I'll try to keep two open then. No promises though." Elizabeta said before scurrying off to talk to some albino at the bar. Arthur took a large gulp of his beer and Francis followed suit. They continued to talk for whatever reason, making threats and talking trash in between drinks. Eventually Arthur got bored of that and took to glaring at the back Alfred's head. If looks could kill, Alfred would probably have died ten times over by now. Stupid Alfred looked like he was having a stupidly good time with his stupid smile and stupid laugh. Francis had begun to flirt with some women at another table, occasionally coming back to try to get Arthur to flirt as well. The more Arthur stared at Alfred the angrier he got. His hand was gripping the glass with so much force that he thought he might break it. He went to take a drink only to get a face full of frozen beer. He pushed it off to the side to wait for it to melt. Stupid Alfred making him freeze his stupid beer. Now he couldn't even drink. His glare got even more intense as the woman leaned forward and started to brush her fingers against Alfred's hand.

Alfred let out a yelp, though it wasn't from the girl touching his hand. Arthur knew this because the yelp was closely followed by a, "Holy crap that was cold!" _Well that was weird._ He sent a questioning look in Arthur's direction, who shrugged and looked around which satisfied Alfred enough to continue to talk to the woman. Arthur immediately narrowed his gaze. The woman didn't seem to feel the need to stop with her advances. She leaned closer. Alfred leaned closer. They were whispering to each other and Alfred was smiling that shy smile of his that he knew was irresistible. Another yelp. Alfred looked annoyed now, though Arthur still had no clue what was going on. Was he having issues with getting close to the girl? The bushy browed boy took another long drink of his half melted beer. Francis suddenly returned to his spot in front of Arthur, distracting him slightly.

"Still staring at Alfred, hmm?"

"I don't know what he sees in that woman. She isn't _that_ pretty. She's not even that cute in the way she acts. She keeps making advances on him. It's so bothersome." Arthur huffed.

"I think you're just mad that Alfred's with some woman."

"I am not. I'm mad he's with _that_ woman you dolt." The woman was leaning in close to Alfred, whispering something in his ear, making him turn red. "You stupid idiot. She's only paying attention to you because she thinks you're kind of cute, moron. Stupid mother fu-" Alfred let out another yelp. Frost appeared on the back of his shirt. The woman started to laugh, finding Alfred's pain funny.

"Are you doing that?" Francis asked. Arthur shook his head.

"Why would I be doing it? I don't even know why the idiot keeps yelling like that. He's making a fool of himself." Francis snickered at Arthur and the glare was moved onto him.

"I think you're doing it on accident, _mon ami_. You have been drinking and you're letting your emotions get the best of you. He only yelps like that when you've been glaring at him like that for however long." Arthur thought on it for a moment. Alfred had said it had been cold the first time it happened. And Arthur had mastered Blizzard, which you have to control with your emotions. _Crap_. It was him. And now he knew alcohol mixed with anger and his magic wasn't good for the one he was angry at. Arthur slammed his head on the wooden table with a loud _SMACK_, getting a few looks from the people sitting around him. "No worries. At least it proves you're mad. I was right. You owe me ten gold."

"I owe you nothing." Arthur grumbled.

"It was worth a try." Francis shrugged. Arthur shot upwards, a sudden rage taking hold of him and pointing itself at the doctor.

"You know what? Why don't you go make yourself useful and go flirt with that girl, hmm? That would be really damn helpful of you right now. I really don't need your stupid comments on everything right now."

"All you had to do was ask, Arthur~" Francis replied, sighing as if Arthur had just told him that his mother was not going to die of the horrible sickness that had been eating at her for weeks. Arthur stared at him, blinking in confusion. Francis didn't bother to stick around and immediately made his move. It happened fast and Arthur could barely believe it happened at all. The bearded man said a few things to the woman and just like that she was all over him. He quickly led her up the spiral staircase and out of sight. Alfred sat at the table by himself for a few seconds looking as confused as Arthur felt. He shrugged and stood up stretching, making his way back to the table with Arthur, not really seeming to care that his lucky night was pretty much ruined.

"Hey." Alfred said.

"Hi." Arthur replied.

Silence. Alfred stared at the cups littering the table. There were nearly twenty glasses, some on their side, some upside down, and others upside right. "You didn't drink all of this, did you?"

"No. Only half. Francis and I were having a competition on who could drink themselves into the worse hangover. Loser has to pay for all the drinks tomorrow morning. I get the strong feeling I won."

"Really?"

"Partially."

"Were you able to get a room?"

"Yes. Ask Elizabeta about it. I didn't ask details." Arthur noticed the tavern was nearly empty. Most people were now in bed or passed out. Arthur felt very close to falling asleep himself, in fact, he didn't want to move at all.

"I'm gonna be right back. Don't move." Alfred got up and quickly made his way to the bar, asking about a room. He was given directions and appeared back in front of Arthur within a few minutes. "Okay. Our room is literally right there by the staircase." Arthur hummed. "Can you even walk that far?"

"I seriously doubt it." the shorter boy laughed. "I haven't moved all night now that I think about it." Alfred laughed quickly, not nearly as amused as Arthur was by this and moved to help his friend up. Just when it seemed Arthur was to his feet, he immediately slumped forward, his legs not wanting to work. Alfred had anticipated that luckily and was right there in front of him for leaning purposes. Arthur laughed again as he began to slide downwards. An annoyed groan came from Alfred before he forced Arthur to sit back down. "Well that wasn't nice of you at all. Make up your mind on what you want me to do."

"Get on my back."

"I don't wanna."

"Would you rather I carried you bridal style up the stairs and over the threshold of our room? It makes no differe-"

"Yes." Arthur replied. Alfred arched an eyebrow at him, causing the blond to laugh again.

"You are never drinking again. Ever."

Sunlight.

Sunlight was Arthur's worst enemy right now. Take the hatred he had for the perverted doctor he had met yesterday and multiply it by ten. Then add six. That was about how much he hated sunlight right now. Arthur groaned as he turned so that his face was buried in a pillow, protecting his eyes from the light pouring into the room. Even the sounds of his skin brushing against the blankets were hurting his head. Well it didn't look like he'd be able to fall back asleep anytime soon. Yesterday seemed like a blur. Arthur remembered meeting Francis and Alfred getting glasses and getting to tavern and deciding it was a good idea to drink. After that was just blank space.

"I never want to drink again." Arthur whined into the pillow. Fat chance that would happen though. Although the day after drinking was most often horrible, the actual duration was fun…well the parts Arthur could remember anyways. Weight shifted on his left side. It must have been Alfred. As classy as the inn was, it must have had only one bed in the room, which made sense. An inn was there to offer a temporary place of shelter. If you wanted different beds, then pay for another room.

"Good morning, Arty." Alfred greeted, half asleep. He rubbed a hand on Arthur's head, pushing his face further into the pillow and messing with his bed head. Arthur grumbled a muffled response. "Well you seem to be in a great mood." Arthur turned his face from the pillow, wincing as the light touched his eyes, and glared at the sleepy Alfred.

"Don't. Even. Try. It." he growled out. Alfred stared at him with droopy blue eyes and a smile. They remained quiet for a while longer, Arthur's head pounding as if a drum was being beaten inside his skull.

"So what are the plans for today? We just gonna buy supplies and stuff and head out?"

"No. I was thinking we could stay here for a few more days. I think you should get used to your glasses in case anything happens. And even though we were completely healed up, I still say a few days to regain our thoughts and figure out what we're going to do should…Alfred? Are you even listening to me?" Alfred had his dragon egg in his hands, holding it up and inspecting it. "What _are_ you doing?"

"Making sure Betsy isn't cracked. There was lots of excitement yesterday and I wanted to make sure she was okay."

"How nice, Alfred. Dragon eggs have really tough shells though. I'm sure you could drop her and she won't crack."

"Don't say that! She's very fragile!" Alfred yelled, clinging to the blue egg. The yelling made Arthur's ear ring and he reflexively covered them. "Sorry."

"It's fine. Let's go get something to eat. Maybe that will help." Arthur grumbled as he rolled out of the bed. He didn't really feel like eating at all, but Alfred was probably hungry and they had to get out of bed anyways. Maybe Elizabeta would know something to help with a hangover. Alfred quickly followed, grabbing his things before leading the way to the door. The hallway was dimly lit and empty, save for a few people who were probably going down to the tavern for food. A constant buzz of happy conversation sounded from the right where the staircase was. "How long have we been asleep?"

"I dunno. It's not that late I don't think." It was probably around eleven if Arthur had to make a guess. Downstairs was as lively as last night, minus the influence of alcohol. There weren't as many people, but the two boys still had to make their way through the crowd carefully. Alfred didn't have much trouble, but Arthur was scared he would be stepped on since the men here seemed to be nothing but huge. Alfred and Arthur made their way to two empty seats near the bar. Elizabeta happened to be close by and appeared in front of them on the opposite side with a smile.

"Good morning, you two."

"Morning!" Alfred replied immediately. Arthur leaned on the counter, face in hands.

"Those drinks not treating you well this morning?" Elizabeta asked. "I probably shouldn't have let you drink so much. Gilbert only has really strong stuff saying only pansies drink the weak stuff. Hang on. I'll get you some water and something to eat." She scurried off, leaving Alfred and Arthur by themselves. The people in the tavern were getting louder, making Arthur's headache worse. Instead of drowning out conversations, it seemed like he could hear every single conversation at the same time. Arthur glared at Alfred, who was humming and beating the wooden counter. Alfred didn't seem to notice and continued with his odd rhythm. He heard some women in the crowd talking about their husbands and what they did and who had the more respectable career. Some men were talking about hunting with their sons next weekend. Some other men, obviously younger and single, were flirting with some rather giggly girls. There were other clipped conversations Arthur picked up on that he didn't care about until he heard it.

"…fire destroyed the little town on the other side of the woods. No survivors at all." Arthur perked up and began to turn in his chair, trying to find the source. "It's sad really. It's just completely gone. Burned to a crisp."

"What do you think it was?"

"I'm betting a dragon. Though what one is doing in these parts, I don't know. They aren't exactly destructive things unless they're provoked. Maybe it was a rouge from one of the Dragoon kingdoms. Who knows?"

"That reminds me of Kazus now that I think about it. I heard that place is a ghost town now."

"What?"

"Didn't you hear? Everyone there has gone missing. As in _everyone._ I'd be worried about where the next target is. It can't be a coincidence that 2 towns are practically wiped from existence overnight like that. I think the citizens of Ur should just leave if they know what's good for them."

"So you're saying somebody is picking off towns? That seems a little farfetched."

"It's just a theory, but who knows? Either way, I'm leaving. I'm going somewhere I can be safe."

The men continued to talk, but Arthur was no longer listening. His hands were balled into fists, his fingernails digging painfully into his palms. So there was another town that had been attacked? More importantly, there was a chance that the incidents were connected? If there was a lead on who, or what, had destroyed Arthur's and Alfred's lives, then Arthur was going to follow it, and there was a good chance Alfred was going to be on board with it too.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

Whoops. I promised I'd go faster and I think I ended up taking longer I think. Pretend Francis makes up for it.


	4. Chapter 3

Catch the Falling Sky  
><em>Chapter 3<em>

* * *

><p>Alfred, for once, was not on board with the "charge-in-without-thinking" plan. It confused Arthur to no end, but it kept him more frustrated than anything else. Alfred even made a reasonable argument, saying it'd be better to get some money and save up for better gear and food. "It'd be completely useless to charge in without any supplies." he had said, especially since they had no clue what they were up against. But still. This was the destruction of their hometown for crying out loud! It deserved a little more attention that this!<p>

"But it could have been connected! Do you honestly not care what happened?" Arthur argued, but Alfred just gave him an exasperated look.

"I _do_ care, Arthur. You know that. I just don't think we should go running off like that." Alfred said it with an air of finality. Arthur rolled his eyes. Alfred probably just wanted to stay in town and gain the affections of more women. Arthur supposed it didn't matter. Not even he wanted to leave yet. His head was still pounding after all and even the smallest of sounds made him feel like he was splitting in two. Elizabeta appeared again, placing a plate of food in front of Alfred and a glass of yellow-ish liquid in front of Arthur, whom furrowed his thick eyebrows as he gave Elizabeta an incredulous stare. She smiled.

"It'll make you feel better."

"Your plan to make my alcohol induced headache go away is to give me more alcohol? Absolutely brilliant."

"Gilbert thought so. He drinks more than me and swears it works. And more times than not, it does." Alfred snickered through a mouthful of food at Elizabeta's comment, but said nothing. Elizabeta passed a comment, making Alfred laugh again, but Arthur wasn't paying attention long enough to catch what she said. Gilbert was currently talking very loudly with some bearded men a few seats away about women they had slept with within the past few days, causing Arthur to roll his eyes.

"Certainly an eccentric fellow." he grumbled, sipping up some of the foam that bubbled and fizzed at the top of the glass.

"An idiot too." Elizabeta agreed. Arthur stared at his drink idly before deciding to take a sip. Well if you had to drink to get rid of the killer headache, so be it. Arthur would be willing to try anything at this point. "So who's paying for the drinks you and Francis inhaled last night?"

"Who woke up first?"

"Francis."

"Him. My hangover is obviously worse. And I don't remember last night at all." Alfred scoffed and mumbled something about "Blizzard" and "couldn't get any" under his breath. It earned an arched eyebrow but nothing else.

"I'll be sure to tell him that. He's probably at work right now, so it's not like I don't know where to find him." Alfred banged on the counter loudly, causing Arthur to bolt upright and glare at him as he was obviously not finished chewing. Elizabeta casually turned to face him, unfazed by Alfred's obvious struggle to finish swallow the ungodly bite of food Alfred had stuffed into his mouth. Whatever he had to say seemed important if the way he was flailing his hand offered any clues. It was a little amusing to watch him chew feverishly and wave his arms like that. Alfred swallowed.

"Speaking of work, do you know any jobs that'll pay well? Obviously we kinda need jobs…" he finally managed to say. Elizabeta thought for a moment, touching her chin absently and sweeping her long, wavy hair behind her ear.

"You'll probably have an easier time than your friend, assuming you're as strong as you look. There's a hunting group Gilbert takes part in sometimes. They're always looking for extra men, but they have some pretty high standards." she explained. Alfred scoffed. "You should probably ask Gilbert about it. He has a good reputation with them, since his brother is actually one of the ranking officers." Gilbert seemed to have gotten bored talking with the men and moved on to do other things, involving beer and drinking it as it appeared. "You," Elizabeta tilted her head towards Arthur, "on the other hand, might have a bit more difficult time." He sent an annoyed glare in her direction, but said nothing. "I don't exactly know what you're good at though."

"He's good at magic and stuff. He can do spells and all that." Alfred offered, pushing his empty bowl to the side and leaning against the counter on his elbows, arms crossed in front of him.

"I think there're a couple magic shops looking for assistants, organizing spell books and running errands." I can write down the addresses for you if you want to check them out. I can't promise they pay as well, but it's better than nothing."

"I suppose that would be alright. I'd rather be around magic than anything else." It would be the perfect opportunity to read up on spells and practice. Maybe the Magician would be willing to teach him a few tricks to make the spell more powerful or how to better focus his energy. It was a little disappointing knowing he and Alfred wouldn't be working alongside one another anymore, but perhaps it was time for a change. Arthur continued to mull things over in his head while Alfred talked to Gilbert, whom Elizabeta had called over while she searched for paper and ink. The two other men were chatting excitedly about the job, the albino explaining how often they went out and what they brought back and the usual pay.

Elizabeta returned with a piece of paper, several addresses scribbled in neat handwriting in a nice column. "Tell them Elizabeta sent you if you think it'll help. Most of them own me a favor or two anyways."

"Right. Thanks then." Arthur mumbled, shoving the paper into his pocket. Gilbert was offering to take Alfred to meet Ludwig sometime that afternoon and Alfred agreed to do so, saying he was free whenever. Arthur wondered if that meant Alfred might have time to come with him to meet the wizards and magicians. It'd be fine if he didn't want to. He'd probably rather go off with Gilbert and stare at the beautiful women that seemed to be everywhere you looked instead of meeting people he'd have no direct association with ever anyways. Arthur breathed a sigh of annoyance. It wouldn't bother him so much if Alfred didn't seem to be so excited about being away from him. Alfred suddenly clapped Arthur on the back heavily, making the boy lurch forward violently, half surprised and half annoyed.

"…right, Arthur?" Alfred grinned. _Shit_. Alfred had been talking to him. Arthur hoped it wasn't important.

"Uh-sure. I guess. I mean I don't really care one way or the other." Arthur huffed, staring at the counter. Alfred eyebrows furrowed in confusion though his mouth still stayed in a smile. Arthur hoped he hadn't just agreed to something outlandish or stupid, but Alfred didn't say anything to say that he had so Arthur pushed it to the back of his mind without a second thought.

Alfred helped Arthur find a good shop to work in before he left to meet Ludwig. He still had a few hours so there was no harm in joining his friend and helping to find a reasonable place, no matter how capable the older boy was on his own. Arthur made him wait outside, saying that Alfred would probably break something fragile or knock over a bookshelf or something. Alfred didn't seem to mind in the least and patiently waited for Arthur, leaning against the wall or meandering back and forth until Arthur finished. Arthur liked all of the places so far. The wizards seemed nice enough and they all had massive collections of spell and potion books, and all of them seemed keen on having someone actually interested in magic helping out. It was better than the teenagers who wanted nothing to do with magic, only wanting coins to spend on clothes or fancy gifts for the person they fancied at the time.

"I honestly do not know how I'm going to pick just one. They all are offering a fair salary and they seem willing to teach me a few things while I'm around!" Arthur said, closing the heavy wooden door of the fourth and final magic shop Elizabeta had recommended. Alfred just shrugged in response.

"Whatever you want, I guess."

"I suppose I might go with the third place. It's closer to the inn and its downtown, where all the business happens. The guy wasn't old, but he still had a great collection and he seems like he might have more time to teach me." Arthur babbled, talking about what he hoped to learn. Alfred listened, but didn't really seem to get everything his friend was saying. "…who knows? Maybe he'll be able to teach _you_ a simple healing spell for yourself."

"Excuse me? You say it like it'd be hard to teach me something like that."

"Harder. You focus all of your energies into physical strength and dexterity-"

"And _stamina_. Don't you need that for spells?"

"Well yes. But you need other things as well. Things you don't bother to deal with." Arthur explained matter-of-factly. Alfred let out an unhappy groan. _Oh well. He'll get over it._ Arthur thought. He was more excited about his new job. Speaking of which, "What about you? Did Gilbert tell you when he was taking you to meet his brother?"

"He just said sometime this afternoon. I guess whenever." Alfred shrugged, shoving his hands deep into his pockets as he did so.

"Seems like it'll be difficult."

"It might be. I'm sure I'll be fine. Gilbert made it sound like it'd be pretty cool anyways." The taller blond didn't seem too keen on carrying on a conversation so Arthur gave up, grabbing the strap of his leather bag with both hands and squeezing it awkwardly while they walked to the tavern. Luckily it wasn't a long walk, but Arthur wished they had finished up a little earlier so as to beat the afternoon rush. But it seemed this place was always busy anyways. Nobody appeared to be drunk yet, well except for perhaps the albino. According to Elizabeta, he was both eccentric and loud both sober and drunk so it was difficult to tell when Gilbert was or wasn't. A few men were drinking some ale, but not enough to get into a drunken stupor at all. Elizabeta noticed the blonds' return and quickly made her way towards the two, her long brown hair bouncing behind her every step of the way.

"So how did it go?" she asked, getting right to the point.

"Well enough, I hope. I think they all seem like great places to work, honestly." Arthur answered quickly. Alfred continued to walk towards the stairs, obviously not wanting to listen to Arthur talk about the wizards again. Arthur let out an annoyed sigh as he rolled his eyes. "I think I'm going to go with Grayhelm. He seemed knowledgeable but not too ancient. And he focuses more on elemental magic so I think I might understand his terminology more."

"Hm. You struck me more as a Summoner or a shadow-user. Oh well. I guess I was wrong. When do you start?"

"The day after tomorrow. I think he'll have me organizing books and ingredients. Tedious, but nothing I can't handle."

"I'm sure he'll have you dealing with customers when he teaches you more about everything. Not that you need to know all about what's in potions since you really only people buying potions as they pass through, but Grayhelm is really big on making sure his employees know how to do things. What's the point of keeping you around if you can't even make a minor healing potion anyways?"

"Confidence. That is what you're giving me right now, Elizabeta." Arthur said ironically, crossing his arms. She laughed as she pushed her hair behind her ear. Gilbert appeared behind her, mischievous smile on his pale face. He began whispering to the green-eyed girl, grin widening and reaching his red eyes. Elizabeta rolled her eyes playfully and shoved Gilbert to the side before trotting away to the bar. Gilbert watched her leave, his smile fading into a less jovial smirk before he turned to face Arthur again, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so.

"Listen Brows, tell you boyfriend to get his ass down here if he wants the job." he cackled, pointing a finger in Arthur's face. Arthur's face bloomed bright red as he slapped the hand out of his face.

"He is _not_ my boyfriend." he huffed angrily. "And my eyebrows are not that bad!" Gilbert just smirked further, ebbed on by Arthur's response. The albino opened his mouth to speak again, but Arthur cut him off, "I think your girlfriend is trying to get your attention." the blond sputtered before quickly dodging his way into the crowd of the people, ducking and weaving his way through until he reached the spiral staircase. Arthur quickly made his ascent, grumbling to himself as he did so. Stupid Gilbert, saying stupid things. Alfred was far from being a…well…_that_. They were best friends for crying out loud. They did things like any two men would do with each other. Of course that's what Arthur felt. Completely. No question about it. Though Arthur guessed the rising heat in his face might contradict his firm belief. At least the quick glance Arthur stole over the banister showed Gilbert was just as shocked by the accusation Arthur had retorted with which gave the blond a slight feeling of satisfaction. He scurried up towards the landing and went towards his room.

Alfred was already inside, sprawled out on the bed, his legs dangling off the edge and feet firmly planted on the ground. He was playing with his glasses, holding one of the legs and spinning them above his face. His blue dragon egg lay in his side, nestled in the dip right before his hips. His free arm cradled the egg, hand rubbing up and down the smooth surface absently. He didn't turn his head to look at his friend, but he acknowledged Arthur with a slight pause before spinning his glasses again.

"You shouldn't do that. You'll break them." Arthur lectured. Alfred rolled his eyes and sat up, slipping the rims on his face. Arthur sighed and made his way to the corner of the room, hanging up his bag on one of the hooks, right next to Alfred's bag. "Gilbert wants you. I'm assuming you're going to meet Ludwig now."

"Oh. Thanks. I guess I'll head down then." Alfred stood up, running a hand through his honey blond hair. Arthur sighed. It was incredibly annoying when Alfred didn't talk, even more so when he talked nonstop. "I'll be back a later. From the sounds of it, I don't think Ludwig is going to be much of a conversation." Alfred's heavy footsteps sounded as he made his way to the door, which creaked as he pulled it open.

"Thanks." Arthur breathed out so quickly that he was unsure if Alfred heard him. He spun on his heel to see the blue eyed blond standing in the doorway, hand still on the handle and a confused look on his bespectacled face.

"You're welcome?" he replied slowly, "Though for what exactly?"

"Uh-" Arthur began intelligently, "For walking with me today, I suppose. I appreciate it."

"That's what best friends do, Arthur." Alfred grinned before waving a quick goodbye and closing the door. Arthur groaned and flopped onto the bed, burying his face into the quilt and pushing Alfred's dragon egg away as it had rolled to rest on his ear. It was odd that the egg wasn't cool, but in fact warm against his flesh. Maybe Alfred was right. Maybe it would be hatching soon. Arthur took a deep breath through his nose, letting the scent of the mattress and blankets fill his nose. He expected it to have mingling scents of previous occupants and perfumes, but oddly enough it only smelt only like Alfred. It was weird that it only smelled like Alfred, however faint it was. It was kind of weird that he immediately though it was Alfred since he'd spent so much time with the boy. He half wondered if he smelled like that. Maybe since they spent so much time together, it was possible. Arthur felt every muscle in his body tighten. But _that_ was completely preposterous! You don't just smell like a person because you spend every day for eight year of your life with the same person! Why was he even thinking about something so stupid, anyways? That wasn't something you just thought about!

Arthur rolled over onto his back, large eyebrows knitted together and his gaze sour and intense. Maybe the stupid bed wouldn't smell like Alfred if he had actually bathed since they were here. The medical cleanup from Francis didn't count-or work apparently. Yes. That was the reasonable conclusion Arthur came up with and he was sticking to it. Alfred just needed a bath if his scent was so easily rubbed off onto things, honestly.

Maybe Arthur needed a bath too. After a night of drinking and then walking in the sun for a few hours, it would probably be best. He could always take one later though. He didn't really feel like getting back up when the bed was so comfortable. It wouldn't hurt to take a nap first. It had been an exhausting day after all and Alfred wouldn't be back for a while. Arthur hummed slightly and turned his head. He hadn't gotten the chance to really look at the room since the last time he was in the room he was so drunk he couldn't stand, let alone take in the room's décor.

The floors, walls, and ceiling were all a deep, rich wood; the same as in the tavern part of the inn. Most of the furniture was also wooden. One of the pieces were probably a station for daily hygienic needs, having a mirror, a small basin, towels, wash cloths, and soap on top in neat rows and a tub a few feet away. A paneled divider stood half-folded near the tub, in case the room was shared and one wanted privacy while bathing. Arthur wondered if it would get used. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen Alfred naked before and Alfred him. Not that it mattered one way or the other. Arthur preferred privacy if it was an option, but it wasn't like he was against stripping down and jumping in a lake to go swimming. A yawn began pulling at Arthur's jaw, forcing it open until he let it take over, his eyes watering slightly as he did so. It was definitely time for a nap.

* * *

><p>Arthur woke up to a loud crashing sound followed by a short string of moans and curses. "Shit that hurt." said Alfred's voice, obviously in pain. That was followed by a, "So much for being quiet." and the sound of awkward scrambling and grunts. Arthur shifted himself to face the direction of the noise, green eyes scanning the room for Alfred, though it wasn't like he could go far. "Sorry about wakin' you up…"<p>

"It's fine. I didn't mean to fall asleep in the first place." A lie, but Alfred didn't need to know that. Arthur sat up, groggily rubbing the sleep out of his eyes while Alfred put up his things. "So how'd it go?"

"Alright I guess. Ludwig seems like a good guy. A hard ass, but good. He seemed impressed with me though. I guess most of his team aren't as wonderfully built as me." Alfred laughed at his own joke. "Actually, I'm almost as big as he is and he's a big dude. You'd never guess him and Gilbert were brothers. They're polar opposites."

"Like you and me?" Arthur asked.

"Kind of. Only you're nowhere near as scary as Ludwig. I'd say you were harmless."

"What?" Arthur glared at Alfred's back, which was turned towards him while Alfred played with and smelled the soaps that came with the room. "Just what the hell are you-"

"I mean, I know you have your magic and stuff, but on the outside you're kinda. Hmmm…" Alfred thought about it for a few moments, "I dunno. You're just not all muscles and stuff. Though I've known you for like, half my life so I already know what sets you off and all that." There was a knock at the door and Elizabeta entered with a large bucket of something steaming. "Oh! Thanks for bringing that for me! I was just gonna do it myself."

"It's really no problem. It's what I get paid to do anyways." Elizabeta said with a warm smile, placing the bucket beside the tub. A few other girls entered with similar buckets, but poured them into the tub before exiting. "If you need anything else, just give me a yell. Afternoon then." And then she left. Arthur got up and began to inspect the tub. He guessed Alfred was getting ready to take a bath. With a glance over his shoulder, it was more than obvious that a bath was what the younger boy had planned on if the pile of clothes that was already forming on the hardwood floor was any clue to that. Quick as a flash, Alfred splashed into the tub, hissing about how hot the water was before settling in. Arthur rolled his eyes and made his way back over to the bed.

"So what exactly have you learned sets me off in these many years of knowing me, Alfred? Since you're all knowing." Arthur was simply instigating, already frustrated with his best friend for insulting him.

"Well for one you hate hearing about how tiny you are." Alfred started. He apparently moved and water began sloshing around as he situated himself. Arthur noticed the bucket of hot water, still steaming, that Elizabeta had left out for Alfred. Arthur grinned and bent over the tiny tub. "And you hate it when anybody mentions your eyebrows, even if they do work for you. You also hate it when anybody says anything about your lack of sex life." Alfred continued talking, but Arthur just tuned him out. "And you hate it when I tell you nobody likes your cooking. Or when you realize you're really only good at women's work. Not that it's a bad thing. One of us should be good at it. It'll save money. And you also hate talking about how many times I had to save your ass in the orphanage from all those bullies, especially when you didn't talk. Oh and you hate it when I talk too much." Arthur was starting to feel a little more than peeved listening to Alfred's list, which he was saying as if he'd recited it a hundred times. Alfred took a deep breath and submerged himself in the water, coming back up with a splash. His hair clung to his face and neck, save for that one oddball piece that always stuck up even when wet. "And you also hate it if I don't talk to you, which just contradicts the last thing I said."

"I get it, Alfred. You can stop…" Arthur growled.

"Oh and you hate when I tell you that you act like a girl. Especially when it's things like that."

"I said you can shut up." Arthur said more loudly.

"But, c'mon, Arthur. Even you have to realize that you act like a girl sometimes. I mean, when you're mad, you yell or you give me the silent treatment and then you say you're okay when I try to apologize when it's obvious you aren't." Alfred continued to babble, rubbing soap into his golden locks and up and down his tanned body.

"Alfred. Shut up."

"Then when I do apologize, you pretty much don't accept it! I mean, jeez! Can you get any more complicated?" Alfred laughed, grabbing the bucket.

"Right then." Arthur couldn't help but let a wide smile spread across his face.

"But I guess you probably have a load of stuff wrong with me too, huh?" Alfred tipped the bucket over his head and immediately screamed an, "OH FUCK THAT'S COLD!" before clumsily jumping out of the tub and grabbing a towel to dry himself off. Arthur probably would have said something witty if he wasn't currently on the ground gasping for air. The older boy knew he shouldn't use his Blizzard spell for something so evil, but really. Alfred kind of deserved it.

Luckily, Alfred didn't seem very bothered by his sudden cold bath at all. In fact, he actually found it quite funny and thought Arthur was rather sneaky for being able to do it without his noticing as Arthur was usually horrible at pulling pranks period. The two boys had decided to take a short walk, this time finding a nice grassy area near the edges of town by the woods instead of going through the city. It was a nice, secluded area and not many people were around save for a few kids playing with a ball, kicking it back and forth amongst themselves. Arthur and Alfred found a spot on a little hill to rest. They began talking, going on and on about random things like usual. That was another great thing: Alfred was no longer acting so reserved after the bath incident happened and was back to being a talkative, obnoxious teenage boy, which Arthur didn't exactly mind. At least that meant that Alfred was back to normal, or was at least pretending like he was back to normal. The only thing that bothered Arthur about it was this meant Alfred was back to being touchy feely again, roughly grabbing and playfully hitting him while talking or joking.

"I get to meet all of the people in the party tomorrow, which is seriously cool. I think it'll be awesome since we'll be able to talk about things like swords and stuff. It'll be nice to have a change in conversation from boring old you, anyways!" Alfred laughed, slapping Arthur on the back, causing him lurch forward.

"Will you stop doing that?" Arthur huffed with a shove back.

"Doing what?" Alfred asked. Arthur slapped his shoulder with a snarl, and Alfred shoved back in retaliation.

"_That_. Just stop it. You're too rough, you know!" the shorter boy crossed his arms and glared in the opposite direction of his friend. Honestly, Alfred didn't know his own strength half the time and with how rough he liked to be, well, Arthur had his share of undesirable bruises to put it simply. Alfred smirked and shoved Arthur again.

"Jee, I dunno what you're talkin' about, Arty." he pushed Arthur again, earning a shove in return.

"Alfred, I'm being serious. Cut. It. Out." Alfred was on his knees now, shoving at Arthur's shoulders and pushing him down into the grass. Arthur pushed back, using his knees and feet the best he could to try and get Alfred away from him. It wasn't exactly working. "Alfred. Stop it! I'm not in the mood for this!" Alfred just continued to push Arthur down, climbing on top of him and immobilizing his legs.

"Stop what?" Alfred grinned. Alfred let out a choked sound of protest as he tried to pull Alfred's hands off his shoulders, which Alfred wasn't going to let happen. He just shifted his weight more on his much smaller companion and Arthur found himself getting more and more flustered as the blue-eyed blond did so. He tried to lift his left shoulder only to have it pinned back down and he tried to lift his right to suffer similar results. Arthur groaned.

"Alfred! I swear to God I will freeze you so bad you won't be able to move for a week!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Alfred laughed. All of a sudden, Alfred flipped over, pulling Arthur with him so that their positions were swapped, and even though he was given the upper hand, Arthur was too surprised to react. Alfred's hands moved to Arthur's wrists, stopping any attack Arthur could dish out. He glared at the hands squeezing his wrists, struggling against them with no avail.

"Alfred! Let me go!"

"No!" Alfred's glasses were askew. Okay. More than askew. They were crooked; the lens on Arthur's right resting on Alfred's forehead and the other one just barely touching his golden eyebrow. "You're just gonna have to force me. Which won't happen any time soon." Alfred grinned wider and let go of Arthur's wrists suddenly. Arthur gracelessly fell forward, his forehead running into Alfred's nose. Alfred let out a cry of pain and wrapped his arms around Arthur. And then they were spinning, toppling over one another painfully. Alfred's laughter echoed through Arthur's head until they finally stopped moving, Alfred on top, arms still wrapped around his friend.

Arthur would have protested, but his protests would go unheard. He was practically buried underneath Alfred, his face in Alfred's shoulder, one cheek against Alfred's arm and the other against his chest. Arthur found himself overcome with the sickeningly sweet smell of Alfred that he still couldn't place, even though it was no longer just a lingering scent and in fact the real thing.

"Mrrumff mrrm mmm mmff." Arthur mumbled. Alfred got up, planting a hand on either side of Arthur's head for support.

"What did you say?" Alfred asked, still snickering. His face was red and his glasses dangled off his face, just barely staying on. Arthur was sure they would fall any moment and pushed them back into place. Alfred just laughed some more. "It'll take a week."

"Excuse me?" Well that didn't make any sense at all.

"The job. Ludwig explained it. It takes at least a week, if not more." Alfred explained. Arthur arched a large eyebrow. "I leave tomorrow actually."

"_Excuse me?_" Arthur repeated, shoving Alfred away so he could sit up and wonder what the hell Alfred was saying properly. Alfred looked sheepish, avoiding Arthur's gaze as if his life depended on it. "But-you haven't even-I mean. _Really?_"

"I know it's last-minute, but doing this is seriously a great way to prove to Ludwig-"

"What? Prove what, Alfred? What exactly are you trying to prove?" Arthur got to his feet and put his hands on his hips, staring down on Alfred with a look of pure venom.

"Ludwig has one of the best hunting parties in the entire city! It'll be easy for us if I do this!"

"I don't care if it's easy for us or not! Do you know how dangerous it is out there? You don't hunt! You…you…"

"I've been trained Arthur! What do you think I've been doing for the past five years, huh? You think I've just been playing around?"

"Well n-" Arthur began. Alfred got to his feet.

"Hmm? Answer me, Arthur! Do you think I can't handle myself out there? I'm not some little kid, Arthur!"

"I know, but you-"

"Just because you can't handle yourself doesn't mean I can't!"

"I know that, I didn't say you-"

"I haven't just been screwing around since we met, Arthur! Just because I'm not experienced doesn't mean I can't do it, okay? We've been through worse when it was just us, or don't you remember?"

"I do remember! You-"

"I just want-"

"IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT YOU!" Arthur screamed. Alfred looked stunned by the outburst and said nothing. Arthur threw his hands in the air and stormed off, hands balled into so tight of fists that his knuckles were turning white. He spun on his heel after a few steps and immediately made his way back towards Alfred. "Do you ever think of anyone besides yourself? Because I get the feeling you don't!" He jabbed a finger in the center of the taller boy's chest, whom opened his mouth to argue, but Arthur immediately cut him off, "Shut up! You just listen for once! You're certainly acting like some little kid, Alfred! You don't have to prove anything to anyone! Just who the hell are you trying to impress, hmm?" Alfred opened his mouth to reply, "Shut up! You're just making up excuses so you can get into trouble! What happens if you get hurt, Alfred? What happens then? Everything you do has consequences! You affect more than just yourself when you do stupid things!" Again Alfred tried to argue, "Shut the hell up! Just shut up, Alfred! You want me to tell you I don't care what you do? Is that what you want? If so, then fine! Do whatever the fuck you want! I don't give a damn!" And with that, Arthur took off. And this time, he didn't turn back.

* * *

><p>Arthur needed to vent. Not only did he need to vent, but he needed to go somewhere that Alfred wouldn't find him. Not that they had been in the city long enough that Alfred would know where to look, but they were best friends. And best friends usually knew the kinds of places you liked to go to when you were upset. The only place Arthur could think of was the last place on earth he wanted to be.<p>

"Open the damn door!" Arthur yelled, banging on the wooden door. The door creaked open and a very annoyed Francis stood in the doorway. At least he was fully clothed. Francis looked up and down the angry blond, a smirk coming onto his face as he widened the door and leaned against the doorframe.

"Well, well. _Bonjour, mon ami._" Francis grinned.

"Shut the hell up and come with me." Arthur groaned. Francis arched an eyebrow.

"And just what-"

"We're going drinking. Now _shut up and come with me._"

"As you wish, _mon ami._"

Arthur probably would have asked anyone else to drink with him, but he didn't know anybody else. The only other people he actually knew were Elizabeta and Gilbert and neither of them seemed like great drinking partners. That left Francis. They'd already drunken themselves to oblivion already, so why not? It seemed like a good idea.

"So where is young Mr. Alfred, hmm?" Francis inquired.

"Shut up. I don't want to talk about him." Arthur huffed.

"Fight?"

"Yes. Now shut up."

"It wasn't about how much of a cockblock you are right?"

"No! And I am not! Will you just shut up? Your job is to just sit there and drink! No questions. No flirting. No touching." Arthur spat. Francis didn't say anything in response, just a quick "uh-huh." Good. Arthur seriously didn't want to listen to Francis' voice for too long. It was already giving him a headache. They drank for hours, Arthur easily finishing drinks within minutes of receiving them. Francis more or less nursed his drinks, patiently listening to Arthur rant about nonsense. When Arthur had finished his eighteenth drink, and began having conversations with imaginary fairies, Francis had him cut off and brought to his room.

"I take it he drank way too much again?" he asked from the bed, where a very annoyed but still worried Alfred hung upside down from. He quickly kicked his feet up and rolled backwards to his feet. He took Arthur from the doctor and sighed. "Thanks, I guess." He went to close the door, but Francis stopped him.

"Not that I wish to pry, trust me, you two are the most boring relationship I've ever seen-" Alfred's cheeks burned a light red, "-not all relationships are romantic ones, _mon ami_. That aside, did you two have a fight or something? He wouldn't tell me, but I'm assuming _something_ happened."

"Yes." Alfred answered shortly. "Kind of. I can't exactly fix it now though."

"_Oui_. Gilbert told me about how you're joining his brother for that job. Congratulations by the way." He seemed to want to say something else, but decided not to and instead just touched his beard for a moment and gave a short look to Arthur.

"Thanks." Luckily, Francis left right after that without any more questions. _Thank God he didn't try to give me any advice laced with metaphors that would be lost on the me. _Alfred thought. Arthur started to mumble and laugh and the look on his face spacey and weird. "You're hopeless, you know that? More trouble than you're worth." Arthur hiccuped and slid down, not trying to fight the force of gravity at all. Why on earth did he like to drink so much that he lost himself like this? It was so annoying. Alfred dropped him on the bed carelessly, earning a whine from the drunken boy, before grabbing his bag off the hook on the wall. He had to pack.

Alfred left early the next morning without a sound and without saying goodbye. The only thing he left was his egg, which he hoped Arthur knew to take care of while he was away. Arthur didn't wake up until a good five hours afterwards, hung-over and frustrated. When he finally did roll out of bed, it took another half hour to realize Alfred was gone for a week. Or possibly more. The thought of that only upset him, not that he would admit it quite like that. And he certainly wasn't bothered by it at all.

Not one bit.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

And yet another chapter! I wanted to give a birthday shout-out to simplytrop! It's almost her birthday! Chapter 3 is uploaded especially for you! I'll get your birthday picture done soon, I promise! You all should definitely go read her fics and everything. She's so amazing. ;3;

Thanks for reading! Hope to see you next chapter!


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